Strange Lake Falls Panther (Strange Lake Falls Series Book 4) (2 page)

She felt his hand on her bare knee as he moved her skirt higher and higher. Roxanne was about to let this jerk have it. How dare he touch her like that in such a public place? Dick. That was his actual name, Dick Lins. He was a beta from a pack that lived in Texas.

“Remove your hand or lose it,” she growled as loudly as she dared considering she was in a darkened movie theatre.

“Do you want us to go somewhere more private?” Dick leaned over to try to kiss her neck, but she was having none of it. She stood up and stared down at him.

“You can go somewhere more private, I’m going home.” She left the beta sitting there with his mouth hanging open.

She knew she would be getting a call tomorrow from the council, but she didn’t care. They kept sending her these assholes, hoping that she would want to mate with one of them. The worst of the lot were the few single Alphas that they had sent her way.

The Alphas were cocky and rude, expecting her to fall naked at their feet just because they were males and Alphas. One even tried to use his Alpha powers on her to bend her to his will. She bent something else of his and he went yelping back to the council. So now they had started sending any single male wolf her way, whether they were an Alpha or not.

She would have told them not to bother, if they had taken the time to ask. Her wolf would not settle for anything less than an Alpha. So she was stuck having to date men not of her choosing. She now understood how Alpha Ric felt went the council was sending him female werewolves, trying to get him to mate too. Ric got off lucky because his wolf recognized the human woman Mary as his true mate. She had agreed to be changed into a werewolf, which satisfied the werewolf council. Now the council was determined that they would get her settled with someone too.

The werewolf numbers were low, especially pureblood werewolves like Roxanne and Ric. The werewolf council was desperate to have a pureblood wolf mating to strengthen their line. Some speculated that the turned werewolves might breed children that couldn’t shift at all. That was a big fear. Roxanne would do her duty but only with a mate that was acceptable to her and her wolf.

Roxanne exited the theatre and shifted to her werewolf form, shredding her pretty summer dress. She ran into the nearby woods, disappearing into the night. She wished she could just disappear sometimes from her life as easily. She thought about where she would go and what she would do. It was an easy choice; she would go to live with her friend Diana. They would find themselves a place to live and get jobs. She knew it was a dream. But her family and her people were counting on her.

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to mate and have a family. She did, for years she had pictured herself one day mating Ric. She accepted that now they would only ever be friends and he was happily mated to Mary. Ric had been a good friend for many years so she was glad that he found someone as loving as Mary. Finding a mate was a very precious thing.

Roxanne remembered talking years ago to Diana, a pack soothsayer and a personal friend. Diana told her that if she followed Ric, eventually she would find her mate. Obviously that was not true. Not all the premonitions that the soothsayers had came true.

The soothsayers were descended from Romani and werewolf matings. Romas were full of power and dark magic, and when it combined with the strength and power of a werewolf, they became very powerful. Not every pairing ended in a soothsayer being born, as only girls could be soothsayers, and only a few lived past age five. They were rare and were feared by many. The surviving adult soothsayers had sought the protection of witches in the northern mountains and lived there in a small commune. There they have remained for years, only called upon by the werewolf packs when a premonition was needed.

Diana had been born into Roxanne’s old pack, but her mother died giving birth and her werewolf that fathered her left Diana and the pack when she had turned six. Roxanne’s family took her in and she and Roxanne had become instant friends.

Most soothsayers got their powers when they reached maturity, but Diana had developed hers early, at the tender age of twelve. The soothsayer headmistress wanted Diana to join the commune immediately, but Roxanne’s parents fought it because they wanted to give Diana as much of a childhood as possible.

Something happened that changed everything when Diana turned fifteen. Her powers became too much for her to handle. She went to Roxanne’s parents and asked them to send her away. So Diana was shipped off to the commune. Roxanne was devastated; Diana was as close to a sister as she had ever had. She missed her terribly.

For a while Roxanne was able to exchange letters with her friend, but then the alpha that took over her pack when her father died stopped the correspondence. He said that the head soothsayer complained their constant correspondence was holding Diana back from her training.

That didn’t stop Roxanne and Diana from communicating with one another. Diana always found a way. Usually it was during her dreams; Diana would show up and they would talk for a long time all inside her dream. Lately, her dreams had been invaded by another person: Connor McGregor.

As if just thinking his name made her seek him out, Roxanne found herself once more at Connor’s family home. It was vacant at the moment, since Connor’s mother Mary had moved to Ric’s house and Connor had been in South America for the past two years.

She shifted back to her human form and went to the back door, fishing the house key out of the fake rock. Mary refused to give up the house, insisting that it would be Connor’s when he finally came home. But two years was a long time to be away and it didn’t sound like Connor was planning to come back any time soon.

Roxanne let herself in, like she had for the past two years. She didn’t turn on the lights. She could see in the dark and she knew the place like the back of her hand.

She didn’t know why she came here, but it always comforted her. She had grown up in a wolf pack and never really had any time or space to herself. When she came here, she was able to be alone with her thoughts. And all those thoughts revolved about the handsome but aloof human that used to live here.

She went to his bedroom and slowly crawled onto his bed. The sheets still retained his scent. She buried her face in his pillow and inhaled him. “Connor,” she whispered. Thanks to her run in wolf form, she was naked except for the pouch for her cell phone hanging around her neck. She quickly removed the pouch and set it on the nightstand. She then climbed underneath the covers. She wanted to rub his scent all over her.

She turned her head and looked at the picture of Connor playing flag football with his friends. He was shirtless and he was reaching to grab the ball in the air. It really showed off how strong and athletic he was, emphasizing the lines of his body. Looking at his image and taking in his scent had her aroused. It always did.

She cupped her breasts, squeezing them. Roxanne imagined that it was Connor touching her. This was something she had done so many times over the past year. She teased her nipples, pinching them hard. She moved one of her hands slowly down her flat stomach, over her smooth mound, and massaged her pussy lips. She closed her eyes picturing Connor’s head there between her thighs.

She would grip his dark hair to hold him to her. His bright eyes would look up at her and then he would lean down, licking her juices. She would open her thighs wider for him. Connor would then sink his tongue deep inside of her.

Roxanne used her fingers in place of his tongue. She mimicked the fantasy Connor’s rhythm, but she had to use three fingers to get it to feel thicker and wider, like his tongue would be. There, right there. She pumped her fingers in and out, faster and faster. She opened her eyes and looked at Connor’s picture again, at the sweat running down his chest. How she longed to lick that drop off of him.

She felt the tingling start and spread through her whole body. It was coming on her fast; she wasn’t going to be able to last long. Connor would put pressure on her clit, rubbing her until she screamed out.

“Connor!” she cried out at her release. Her breathing was hard and her body was tingling with the spasms of her orgasm. Damn, she had really needed that release.

As her body cooled, she looked once more at Connor’s picture. He was like a ghost that haunted her, inspiring a crazy need for him. But he may never come back to Strange Lake Falls, and if he did, it may be too late anyway. The council was going to demand a decision from her soon. She couldn’t keep her life on hold for a man who wasn’t there any longer, no matter how much she wanted him. It was an impossible situation. She needed to let it go, let him go. These thoughts didn’t sit well with her.

She made up the sheets on the bed and stared at it. She should wash them, but the thought of getting rid of his scent made her feel sick inside. Her phone rang and she looked at the caller ID. Alpha Ric.

“Yeah.”

“Roxanne, where the hell have you been?”

“I needed some space. Why?” She knew it had something to do with her failure of a date. She hated disappointing her alpha.

“You need to head back to the pack house, immediately.”

“Fine, I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Tell Mary to leave some clothes on the porch.”

She hung up and frowned as she took in Connor’s bedroom. This needed to be the last time she came here. It was time for her to move on. No more fantasies of a man she could never have.

Roxanne pulled on the clothes Mary had left for her on the porch. She was used to being naked in front of other werewolves, but Mary was still holding onto her human views and didn’t want people traipsing around bare. She had begun leaving stacks of spare clothes on the porch so members of the pack would have something to wear when they shifted back before coming inside the house. No one questioned her about it since she was mated to the alpha, they just took it in stride, but Roxanne knew it amused the older ones.

She could tell something was different as soon as she entered the pack house, an old Victorian farmhouse that had originally belonged to Mary’s best friend Jackie. Jackie had sold the house and the surrounding acres to Alpha Ric at a steal when it became clear Samantha needed to be around other wolves. Speaking of Sam, the girl was grabbing a huge slab of sliced turkey from the fridge.

“Wow, you’re hungry tonight,” Roxanne teased her. Samantha was a very sweet young woman. She had long light brown hair and long legs. Roxanne envied her those legs. The girl was gorgeous and also very smart. She was currently a college junior, which meant that she would be graduating early, in just another year. She had a birthday coming up soon and would be twenty. Looking at someone so truly young always made Roxanne feel her age.

Sam laughed. “I am. I’ve been studying for finals and that always makes me hungry. You’re coming in late tonight. Did your date go that well?”

Roxanne snorted. “It went that bad. The guy was like an octopus, hands everywhere.”

“Sorry. I’ve had dates like that. So you had him drop you off early?”

“No, I bailed on the date. Took off to spend some quality alone time with myself. I would still be out if Ric hadn’t called me to come home.”

Sam passed close to her on the way to the table and stopped. She leaned over and sniffed. “Are you sure you were alone?”

“Yeah, why?” Roxanne tried to keep her breathing even.

“You might want to go take a quick shower before you see Ric and Mary. I’m not judging, but you don’t want the scents I’m picking up to be picked up by those two.”

Shit!
“Let me shower. Could you stall for me if they come looking?”

Sam sat down and waved her to go. “Go on. I’ve got this covered. You might want to add some perfume because for some reason I can really smell Connor on you.”

Fuck and damnation!
Roxanne took the stairs closest to the kitchen. She raced upstairs and down the hallway to her bedroom, which fortunately had an attached bathroom she shared with Sam.

She grabbed spare clothes and dashed into the bathroom. She used Sam’s shampoo because it had the strongest scent. She scrubbed her skin until it pinkened. Why hadn’t she noticed that she had Connor’s scent on her? Maybe she had gone there so many times over the last few years that she had just gotten used to wearing it without a second thought. Had his mother Mary noticed it?
Shit, if Sam could tell, then Mary could.
This was not good.

She finished up and put on her clothes, not bothering to try to dry her hair. Ric was not the most patient Alpha. She ran out of her room and back down the stairs. She looked at Sam, still eating the biggest sandwich she had ever seen. Sam, mouth full, pointed in the direction of the parlor.

Roxanne hurried into the parlor and found Ric nibbling on Mary’s neck. These two couldn’t ever keep their hands off of one another. At times it was a bit uncomfortable to be around. She softly cleared her throat.

Ric pulled away, not looking happy about being interrupted. Mary blushed and didn’t meet her eyes. It was an awkward situation for both her and Mary, but they had still managed to become friends.

After their mating, Roxanne had planned to return to her old pack, but when Ric and Mary invited her to stay, she had accepted their hospitality. Now she wondered if maybe it was time to finally leave.

“You took your time getting here,” Ric growled at her.

“Ric, calm down.” Mary patted his arm, keeping his temper under control. Thank God for Mary.

“Sorry, Alpha. I wanted to take a quick shower first.”

Mary gave her a sympathetic look. “The date didn’t go well?”

Roxanne shook her head. “No.”

Ric sighed. “We already knew that. Your date called the council to complain, and then the council called me.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha. I just don’t feel anything for the men that the council has sent. My wolf won’t respond to any of them.”

“I hope I’m not out of line here, but could something be wrong with your wolf? Like, is she sick or something and can’t scent the males?” Mary asked. She was still new to pack life and didn’t understand all the wolf nuances. Roxanne came further into the room and sat in a chair across from the Alpha pair.

“No, my wolf is very healthy. She recognized Ric but knew he was not meant for us. There was one other that she responded to, but there is no chance of that happening. He’s not a werewolf.”

Roxanne wished she could have taken back what she had just said. She watched as Mary fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with the thought of Roxanne having been attracted to Ric. Ric wrapped a soothing arm around Mary’s shoulders.

“The council also had their chief soothsayer, Rajene, call me. Rajene says that there is something going on with the few remaining purebloods, they have a limited time to reproduce. She says this is your time, but if you do not breed now, you may not be able to for some time.”

Some time?
That could be anything from five years to one hundred. She didn’t want to wait one hundred more years before having children.

“What should I do? Did Rajene say?”

“You need to find someone your wolf will respond to and mate as soon as possible. I have a friend in the northern mountains who is a good Alpha. He is also a pureblood. He will arrive tomorrow. You need to push your wolf with him. He might be your only chance.” Ric stood up and looked down at his mate. “I’m going to go get you a sandwich before Sam eats all the meat. She’s worse than the twins.”

“Thanks, babe. I’m starving.” Mary smiled as she watched Ric leave. Then she turned to Roxanne. “I’ve never had to depend on my wolf to be attracted to someone. Is it difficult? Do you have any control?”

Roxanne shook her head. “You can’t make a wolf do or feel something. Either they do or they don’t.”

“Do you have to mate the guy or can you just . . . you know.”

Roxanne laughed. “You mean get knocked up? I could get pregnant, as long it was my breeding time. But to bring a werewolf child into the world, it is always easiest and best if both the parents are mated and there for them. But it’s not a requirement.”

“So maybe when this other guy comes, you should just see if you could be attracted sexually enough to breed, and take the stress of mating him off of your shoulders.”

Roxanne thought about it. It wasn’t a horrible idea. It was an unconventional one, considering wolves tended to be very old fashioned, but it could work. Especially if the male was kind and good to her.

“I’ll think about it.”

Mary nodded. Then she gave Roxanne a big smile. “I’ve got really good news.”

Roxanne smiled back as she leaned back in the chair. “What’s that?”

“Connor is coming home.”

Holy shit!
Roxanne tried to hide her excitement, but found herself sitting up straighter again. “That’s great news. When does he arrive?”

“Tomorrow or the day after, I not sure. We received the message tonight, but you know how these messages can get delayed. He could already be here. I should call the house and check.”

Roxanne stood up. “I’ll leave you to that. Goodnight, Mary.”

“Goodnight.” Mary was already reaching for her cell phone.

Roxanne took the stairs with feet that felt like lead. Connor was coming home and she was going to have to at least breed with a wolf. She felt like something important was about to happen. She hoped she was ready for it.