The Mating Chase (Werewolves of Montana) (2 page)

Hair of rich ebony tumbling down to her waist, Beth had a face as pretty as any Skin model. She was smart, sexy and sassy, and he’d always enjoyed sparring verbally with her. Now she’d become quiet and withdrawn.

Aiden had told him the Skins in college teased Beth about her weight. But whoa, her body was perfect, the type to make a Lupine male salivate. Those wide hips and generous breasts were perfect for bearing and suckling young, and providing many enjoyable nights making those babies.

When he’d glimpsed her naked in the shower, Dale had fought for control. Tight coral nipples tipped her breasts, the kind he loved to squeeze. Water cascaded down her body in an erotic river. He longed to trace every droplet with his tongue. Position her against the wall, spread her legs wide, drop to his knees and demonstrate how erotic her own natural scent was to a hot-blooded male. His muscles knotted as he imagined how delicious she’d taste beneath his tongue, how he could make her squirm and squeal and then finally scream.

Then he’d push his cock into her soft, wet heat, branding her with his scent, his touch, his body.

But she acted more Skin than Lupine. Dale distrusted Skins. He only drove into town to fill his basic sexual urges. Sex with Skins meant his natural inclination to dominate in bed. If his partner attempted to take charge, he bolted.

Flattening his palm against the door, he felt his heart twist. Beth was unhappy. She needed to accept becoming Lupine again. But most of all, she needed to accept herself.

He stepped back as the door swung open. Beth emerged, looking like a meteor hit her. Pity filled him. He knew what it was like to feel trapped and your world turned inside out.

But damn, he agreed with Aiden. Their kind got a little crazy when an unmated female went into heat. Felt like someone flipped a switch and triggered him to think of nothing but sex.

“Make your decision?” he asked.

Her lush, pink mouth thinned. “Thanks for offering to be my champion. But I don’t need your sympathy.”

“I didn’t do it because I pitied you, damn it.” He drew in a breath. “Ever consider that maybe I want you, too?”

“How much did my uncle pay you to say that?”

Frustration filled him. “You can’t get it through your head. Those assholes kept mocking your weight. You’re not fat, Beth.”

“Right.”

“You’ve lived among the Skins too long. They’ve ruined you. You’re using artificial soap, hide in your room instead being outside...”

“I like scented soaps.”

“I like the way you smell without them.”

“Yeah. I smell without them all right.”

Dale stepped close enough to see the sparks of green in her brown eyes. He loved the way her gaze lit up when she was happy. He itched to see her eyes dazed with passion as he made love to her, and then sated and sleepy afterwards.

“No, you don’t. You smell like sun-dried cotton. Crushed wildflowers after a spring rain. And tart grapes in a full-bodied red wine.”

Her expression softened, then the suspicion returned, a wariness he’d noticed since the moment she walked through the front door and dumped her suitcases in the front entryway.

“Guess it’s a good thing I don’t smell like your favorite beer.”

Dale’s mouth curled. “Darling, I drink beer because it’s available. But rare wine I savor slowly. Some things taste too good as they slide down your throat. You want to take your time, and make them last.”

Beth gave him a doubtful look, but the wariness fled. She looked intrigued.

Time to kick it up a level. “I’d do the same with you. Taste you, all over. Love you slow and easy. Real slow until you got accustomed to my touch.”

Sniffing, she shook her head. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, Dale. You’re like a frat boy who thinks he can flatter and seduce the chubby girl and then dump her.”

“I’m not a Skin,” he said, struggling to curb his rising temper. “Don’t ever compare me to one. And stop thinking of yourself in Skin terms or you’ll never shift into a wolf. Your uncle is too easy on you. If I were your guardian, I’d have kept you here among your own people until you chose a mate, and then allowed you to attend college.”

“And if I refused?”

“Turned you over my knee and given you a good spanking.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Yeah, but you do have a very sweet ass.” With calculating deliberation, he let his gaze linger on her breasts. “I’m sure I could make the experience pleasurable for both of us. Want to try?”

Fury crackled in her brown eyes as she breached the distance between them. Emotions boiled inside him as they locked gazes, two Lupines in silent sexual challenge. Finally. This was the old Beth, who never backed down, who gave taunts as good as she got.
C’mon sweetheart, do it.

The violent heat between suddenly chilled. Raw vulnerability on her face, Beth took a step back.
Aw, sheesh.
Bitter disappointment stabbed him.

“I never took you for a coward. Guess the Skins taught you more than biology,” he muttered, hoping to force a response.

The doorbell rang. Beth threw him a withering glare and headed down the sweeping staircase.

At least she’d stopped looking at him like a wounded puppy. He followed, and then vaulted over the railing to the first floor, landing on his feet in a heavy thud. Beth halted midway down.

“Short cut. You can do it, too.” Anger tightened his voice. “If you remembered you’re a wolf, not a damn human.”

“Right. Any excuse to watch my dress fly up.”

Dale gave a cold smile. “No reason. Not when I’ve seen you naked in the shower.”

Sputtering, she raced down the stairs, and flung open the door before he could check out the visitor. Damnit. Didn’t she remember anything?

A short, balding man stood on the doormat. Some joker, maybe Darius, had erased the “L” in “Welcome” so the mat now read, “We Come.”

And you go, he thought, recognizing the visitor’s scent.

“Bobby?” Beth looked uncertain. “I thought you weren’t in town until tomorrow.”

The man thrust a bouquet of wilted daisies at her. “My plans changed. Thanks for responding to my email and inviting me over. Here, I brought you these. I came to ask you out to dinner.”

Incisors lengthened and sharpened in Dale’s mouth as he stepped forward, blocking Beth as she took the flowers. “Get the hell out of here.”

“He’s a friend,” she told him.

“Not of yours.” Claws emerged from Dale’s fingers as a growl rose in his throat.

Beth grabbed his arm. “Stop it! He’ll see.”

“Good. Maybe it’ll change his mind about sniffing around you.” Dale scowled at Bobby. “Then again, Earthers like ogres are notoriously stupid.”

“Watch the insults. I’m a troll, not a stupid ogre,” Bobby spat out.

The daisies spilled from her opened fingers. Realizing his mistake, Bobby stepped back, his mouth turning down. “Beth, c’mon, it’s me. I’m your friend from school.”

“You were.” With a stricken expression, Beth stepped in front of Dale. He fought the Lupine instinct to protect and shield.

“I thought you were a Skin. You acted like a Skin.”

“Because that’s what you wanted.” The troll curled his lip. “You really are blind for a wolf.”

“What do you want?” she asked in a trembling voice.

Itching to send a fist smashing into Bobby’s smug face, Dale clenched his hands.
Damn Beth, you’re Lupine. You used to chase dirt diggers like this for fun, remember? Stop acting like a Skin who’s terrified of the monster hiding in the closet.

Seemingly encouraged by her timidity, Bobby inched forward. “What every man wants. A good fuck.”

Beth gasped. The troll’s eyes narrowed. “Unless your uncle pays me off, I’ll shove my cock into his precious niece.”

Dale laughed. “Hard to do when it’s microscopic.”

The troll lunged for him, halting when Dale snarled, showing his teeth. “Take a step closer, dickwad, and I’ll turn you into troll shish kebob. You’re on my turf now.”

Bobby glanced at the shaken Beth. “I’ll leave. For now. Maybe I’ll wait for you, Bethy-Beth. One day when you’re out shoe shopping, I’ll pounce and you’ll never see me coming.”

His nasty smile widened. “Until I do come inside you. Make you pregnant. Wouldn’t that make your uncle proud, contaminating the bloodlines of his precious family with a bastard troll?”

Beth glared at Bobby. “Hard to do, like Dale said, when your cock’s microscopic. Get the hell off our land.”

A surge of intense joy filled Dale.
Atta girl
, he silently cheered. If he could trust her Lupine instinct, he’d let her handle this ass. But for now...

Fisting a hand in Bobby’s shirt collar, Dale picked up the startled Earther and threw him. The troll sailed through the air like a football. He landed in a fresh pile of steaming manure. With a scream of rage, Bobby stood, shapeshifting into his true form.

The troll’s skin purpled and warts sprang up all over his naked body. A penis the size of a baby’s fist poked out from a nest of green hair. Pointed teeth showed in a snarl.

“Oh gross,” Beth cried out. “That’s what I was studying with in the library all that time?”

Dale whistled. From all over the ranch, male ears pricked at the high-pitched call.

Lupines on horseback, tending to cattle or repairing fencing ceased activity. Nearby, three cowboys shifted into wolf. They raced forward, targeting Bobby in answer to Dale’s command. Satisfied, he watched the horror dawn on the troll’s face. Fast as his little legs could carry him, Bobby ran for his Corvette. As he fumbled with the door handle, a wolf struck him, fangs sinking into the troll’s fat ass.

Dale laughed as the wolf retreated, allowing Bobby to climb inside and close the door. Shifting back to Skin form, the troll started the engine and drove off in a cloud of dust.

Dale slammed the front door and leaned against it.

“He won’t be back.” He watched Beth’s incredulous expression turn doubtful. “He knows if he dares to try, I’ll be waiting. And you’re not to venture out alone again, not without an escort.”

“I don’t understand. He was never that aggressive in school. He didn’t even kiss me goodnight.”

“It’s why you need a mate, Beth.” Unable to resist, Dale dragged her fragrant scent into his lungs. “You need protection.”

Tensing, she shook her head. “I don’t need anyone defending me.”

“Not if you were Lupine. You’d turn him into shredded beef. But you didn’t recognize him for an Earther.”

Dale removed his hat, rubbed his sweating forehead. “How many other classmates were trolls, ogres or gnomes, Earthers you didn’t recognize? Or other Wyldings like us, only bears or cougars? Or Glythen, Fae or dragons? Let alone Seekers, and their type like Mages or psychic Skins are damn hard to detect even for someone as experienced as me. Do you know how dangerous that is, inviting a troll onto our territory?”

“I never would have done it if I’d known who Bobby was.”

Sighing, he replaced his hat. “And you never would have gone near him if you hadn’t sacrificed all your Lupine instincts to act human. What’s the deal, Beth? Weren’t we good enough for you?”

“That’s not it. I needed freedom to experience the world, see what else is out there. I thought if I became a biologist, I could help the pack with sickness and disease. I have a brain, you know.”

Dale softened his voice. “I know how smart you are. Never doubted it for a moment.”

“Then why is everyone on my case?” Eyes huge in her face, she hugged herself.

Frustration filled him. Beth didn’t get it. Lupines possessed sensual, earthy natures. Their biological urges kept the pack solid and strong. And their instincts kept them sharp and aware of enemies.

Studying in the city among Skins, Beth had forgotten this. She’d forgotten how sexual Lupines were. And he was more Lupine than most, curbing his feral instinct and sexual needs only out of sheer will.

Hard to do with her so close, Beth’s intoxicating fragrance teasing his senses.

He wanted her naked and sprawled beneath him. He wanted her trapped in his solitary cabin for days, fucking her into ecstatic oblivion until her Lupine instincts surged. He wanted to lock into her and make her pregnant with his babies. Dale closed his eyes, envisioning Beth rocking their son as she suckled him, a contented look on her face.

That was his dream. Not hers.

He wanted her Lupine.

But he wanted her happy, too.

“We’re not on your case,” he finally said. “You know we’re a pack, Beth. And pack rules must be obeyed. Aiden has dictated no unmated females will remain. You have to choose what you want with your life.”

If she decided to leave, his world would feel cold and empty. For four years he’d eagerly anticipated her return, curbing his basic instincts to chase after her, watch from a distance to ensure her safety. Doing so would violate their friendship and her trust. So he’d remained on the ranch and waited.

I can’t let her leave now
, he realized, his blood surging hot and thick, twining with male possessiveness.
I have to find a way to keep her tied to me.

“What’s your answer?” he asked, muscles tightening in his neck.

She went to the painting of wild wolves Aiden had hung in the hallway, a reminder of their origins. Beth touched the gilded frame. “I’m not leaving. And I’d never agree to a challenge match. It’s too violent and brutal. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

Dale released the breath he’d held. He’d offered to champion her. He couldn’t stand the idea of another male claiming her, a younger male who lacked control and might brutalize her. If necessary, he’d fight his brethren, though the thought nauseated him.

“I suppose my only choice is the mating chase. Maybe being chased by a group of sex-starved males will force my wolf out.”

Something inside him seized up at her woebegone look. “Sex-starved, no. Eager for the chase, and to find a mate, yes. There’s a big difference.” Dale stroked a thumb down her cheek, feeling her quiver beneath his touch. “Maybe your wolf needs passion to coax her out.”

Beth gave a throaty, bitter laugh as he dropped his hand. “Passion? I doubt it. Sex is sex. It’ll be the same, no matter who wins. I’ll be the loser.”