The Mating Chase (Werewolves of Montana) (3 page)

Resisting the urge to prove her wrong by kissing her until she surrendered to her own desires, he tapped her pert nose. “Tonight, under the moon. Fifty-seven males waiting to chase and claim you. I’ll be among them.”

Relief flickered in her gaze. Then her expression shuttered as she nodded, her posture as regal as their alpha’s.

“And Beth? One other thing you forgot about me.”

As she tilted her head, Dale gave a slow smile. “I always win.”

T
HE WAXING MOON
hung like a polished nickel in the cloudless sky.

Outside the ranch lodge, Beth paced back and forth, kicking up small clouds of dust. She’d worn dark clothing and her favorite running shoes. Every advantage was needed when trying to outlast a pack of male Lupines eager for the chase and the prize.

Me, she thought a little desperately.

Inside the lodge, Aiden met with the challengers to outline terms of the chase. He’d coached her earlier. She could run up the mountain, in any direction she chose, as long as it was on foot or paw. Her choice.

If she reached the lakeside cabin in the mountains, she’d win. But if a male caught and straddled her before she did, biting her neck to mark her as his intended mate, the chase was over. The losers would return to the lodge, and Beth would accompany the winner to his room to consummate their union.

So romantic, she’d told her uncle with a sarcastic smile.

All afternoon, she’d hoped fear of the impending event would force a Change. But her wolf lay as dormant as on that day of science lab when her professor had dissected a deer. Beth had watched the procedure with ennui, while the other girls turned green. And then the professor talked of the deer’s natural predators, like wolves. He mentioned some hunters liked to shoot wolves, thinking they were a nuisance.

Beth had growled.

All her classmates stared. From that moment, she’d kept her wolf silent and threw herself into her studies.

But curbing Lupine instincts proved a daily challenge. Beth disguised her wolf by mimicking other girls, much as an attractive woman wore a wedding ring to discourage single men. Gradually the wolf’s call became less insistent and had finally faded away.

Tonight, when she needed her the most, her wolf remained silent. Her Skin suit must suffice.Beth rubbed her sweating palms against the fleece pants.

A shadow slipped out of the lodge. She recognized Dale’s unique scent: leather, sage and spices, a strong and powerful smell of an equally strong and powerful male.

Her wolf senses were returning, she realized. Her hearing, sight, smell had sharpened. If only she could shift.

Moonlight silhouetted his chiseled features, glinted in his dark blond hair. He closed the distance between them until she could see the feral heat in his blue gaze. He was barefoot.

“Is the meeting over?” Beth asked, heart banging hard against her chest.

“No. I slipped out to give you a fifteen minute head start. Aiden doesn’t know, and neither do the others.”

Dale glanced at the sky. “It’s not enough, but it’ll help.”

“Why?” she whispered.

He lifted his hand, caressing her chilled cheek in a lingering stroke. “Because I don’t want your wolf emerging from fear. She’ll return when the time is right.”

A shudder raced through her, born from earthy and powerful instinct. Pulling his shirt over his head, he dropped it to the ground. Sleek muscles framed his powerful chest, his flat belly and roped his long, strong arms. Fascinated, she stared.

Dale unfastened his jeans, sliding them past narrow hips, and kicked them free. Naked, he stood before her, clad in shadow and moonlight. Pure female need arrowed through her, her breath coming in little whistling gasps.

“You don’t need to strip to shapeshift,” she whispered.

“Yeah, but I thought I’d give you a sample of what you’re getting.” Dropping his arms to his sides, he stood motionless, letting her observe her fill.

Dark blond hair on his chest marched down his flat belly and abdomen to a thick nest at his groin. At rest, his penis was long, the mushroom knob slightly pointed. Lupine, she realized. But close enough to a human penis that most couldn’t tell the difference.

Except when a female was in heat, or during the full moon. Then things changed. A male’s shaft naturally thickened and lengthened, and the knob resembled a rounded barb.

Beneath her fascinated scrutiny, his penis twitched. She moistened her dry lips.

“Run, Beth,” Dale said, his husky voice deepening until it became a guttural growl. “Now.”

Then he vanished. Standing in his place was a thickly muscled gray wolf, eyes shining blue in the moonlight. The wolf lifted its nose and sniffed the air, pawing at the ground.

Eager for the chase, and the prize.

Beth ran.

F
IFTEEN MINUTES WASN
’
T
enough.

Beth climbed up the narrow mountain path, her sturdy sneakers providing traction on the slippery slope. The ancient ritual pumped in her blood. She reached deep inside for her wolf, hoping she’d emerge. She saw a reflection of a gray wolf with deep brown eyes staring back.

But her wolf did not surface.

In her human Skin, she couldn’t hope to outrun the wolves.
Conserve your strength
.

Breath wheezing out of her lungs, Beth pushed on. If she could make it to the cabin by the lake, she’d be safe. At the least, she must find a tree to climb. Being surrounded by a bunch of lusty wolves was not how she anticipated her homecoming.

A short time later, she collapsed on a flat boulder, gasping for breath.

In the distance, a haunting howl echoed through the mountains.

Hair sprung up on Beth’s arms. It had begun. The pack males would chase her until she dropped from exhaustion, and if she were lucky, they would not all jump on her at once in a mating frenzy.

It could happen, Arianna had warned as they had combed through Beth’s wardrobe earlier to select clothing. An orphan, Arianna Sanders was Beth’s closest friend. She was a purebred alpha Lupine with heightened senses, and irresistible to males during her heat.

“Once another pack held a mating chase, and the males got so sexually aroused, two of them lost control.” Arianna’s blue eyes had narrowed. “They were both about to violate the female when the alpha appeared, and stopped them.”

“What happened to her?” Beth asked, horrified.

“The alpha chose one and forced her to mate. She didn’t fight it. I’d have scratched his eyes out. No one’s ever going to do that to me.”

Arianna refused to talk about her past. Beth suspected her friend had been abused before Kyle found her and brought her home to live with the pack.

“Be careful, Beth.” Arianna’s gaze grew solemn. “Lupines can be a little crazy when they cave into their wild sides. Especially males.”

“My uncle’s trying to find mates for them. It’s not easy. Most packs won’t release their daughters and nieces.”

Her friend’s mouth turned down. “After tonight, I’m the last available female. How long before it’s my turn?”

Unsure of what to say, she’d given Arianna a comforting hug.

Standing and shaking away the memory, Beth brushed at her pants. From down the mountain came a series of long, eager howls.

Panic surged within her. Beth ran up the trail, stumbling over rocks and roots, her feet scrambling for purchase. A gust of wind blew hard, nearly sending her off-balance. Craning her neck, she saw a blur of shadows against the night, heard their panting breaths as they surged up the mountain. Hunting not solo, but as a pack. When the pack hunted together, nothing could outrun or outlast them.

Branches snapped beneath heavy paws. Rough grunts drifted on the wind, some laced with possessive snarls. They battled for dominance, striving to reach her first. Fully Lupine, nothing remained of the calm, well-mannered cowboys who’d treated her with the quiet respect due their leader’s niece. The males were driven by the ancient impulse to mate.

Sweat ran into her eyes. Beth blinked it away. Lungs burning from lack of oxygen, she scrambled upwards.

She felt the thudding of paws upon the ground behind her, closing fast.

With a last, frantic surge of strength, she lunged upward as the lead wolf closed in on her heels. Then he leapt, knocking her to the ground. Straddling her back, the wolf gave a triumphant howl, proclaiming his victory.

Screaming, Beth struggled to free herself.

And then the claws vanished. Four paws became gentle hands and feet as the male pinning her shifted back into human form.

“Beth, sweetheart, relax. It’s me, Dale.”

He pushed a hand through her hair, his fingers stroking her scalp in a comforting gesture. “Shhhh... lie still. I’m not going to harm you.”

For a long moment, he lay atop her, murmuring reassurances as he continued touching her. Gradually Beth’s breathing evened, and the fright subsided.

“The others,” she spoke in a thin whisper.

“Behind us.”

“They won’t stop.”

“They have for now. But only one thing will halt them for good.”

The mating mark, she realized.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I must do this. It’s going to hurt, but just for a minute.”

Twisting her neck, she watched his incisors sharpen and lengthen. Dread curled in her stomach. Dale gently turned her head aside, nuzzled her throat. Fingers digging into the dirt, she braced herself.

Sharp teeth sank into her neck. Pain flashed through her, along with an erotic throbbing in her loins.

Then he licked the wound, his tongue dragging slowly over her sore skin. The stinging pain faded, replaced by growing arousal. Warmth spread through her, wetness gushing between her legs. Beth squeezed her thighs together as she’d always done in college during her heat. It felt as if the tempestuous wolf clawed upward, wrestling for domination over the celibate human.

Skin and Lupine battled for control. Beth reached deep inside herself, seeking the woman who had trusted this Lupine and the friendship they’d shared.

With a heavy exhale, she relaxed. He rolled off her and stood, stretching out a hand. “Come, Beth.”

To her relief, he’d clothed himself by magick. As they marched down the trail, the other males in Skin form stepped aside, watching with hungry, searing gazes. Dale issued a warning growl. They bent their heads and stared at the ground.

Twenty minutes later, they reached Dale’s log cabin. Built snugly against the mountain, it commanded a magnificent view of the valley and the ranch’s sprawling pasture and fields.

Dale opened the door and ushered her inside.

She’d been here once before leaving for school. Dale had given her a parting gift, a carving of a wolf she treasured. But at college, she’d stuffed it into her suitcase to hide the reminder of her origins.

The cabin was small, but neat and organized. Silver moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Swallowing hard, she followed him into the bedroom. Dominating the room was a four-poster pine bed covered with a simple blue quilt.

He glanced at her, as she pretended interest in his collection of Stetsons. “I’ve got something for you.”

Dale disappeared into the bathroom. When he emerged, he clutched a large white bottle, which he handed to her.

She stared at the lotion, then at him. For the first time since she’d known him, the confident Lupine looked uncertain. “It’s a gift,” he added.

“You never venture into town, except to get laid at the bar.” A hot blush warmed her cheeks as he cocked an eyebrow. “That’s what the others say, anyway.”

“Yeah, well, that part of my life is over now. Couldn’t find anything I wanted for you in town, so Darius drove me to the city. Took me a while, but I found the right scent. Sun-dried cotton.”

Uncapping the bottle, she sniffed the delicate fragrance, deeply touched at this thoughtfulness. “You did this for me? You hate cities.”

He nodded. “Had a bit of a time in one fancy store. When I couldn’t find anything in the women’s department, went to the men’s. Everything smelled like perfume. Growled at one snotty saleslady who yapped at me for uncapping all the bottles.”

At his impish grin, Beth felt a stir of real amusement. Dale buying scented lotion in a luxury department store was as incongruous as a wolf trotting into a day spa to get his claws manicured. “I’m sure you set her straight.”

“Darius hauled me out of there when I started to unzip my pants so I could mark her counter. Show her what a real man’s scent was like.”

Laughter bubbled in her throat. Beth capped the bottle. “Why did you do it?”

“You like those perfumed creams so much, I thought this was a good choice. It smells of your natural scent. Skin lotion for your human skin.”

He looked adorable, like a shy teenager asking a girl to prom. Beth set the bottle on the dresser. “Maybe I’ll use it tomorrow, after I shower.”

Then his look intensified, and he no longer resembled a boy, but a man alone with a woman, with a man’s needs, and a Lupine’s driving sexuality.

“Maybe tomorrow, I’ll help you put it on,” he murmured. “After I wash your back.”

W
IDE
-
SHOULDERED AND LONG
-
LEGGED
, Dale stood over her like a sheltering oak. Beth became suddenly aware of how she barely reached his chin. For the first time in her life, she felt small and delicate compared to this muscled Lupine.

He held out a hand. “Come with me.”

Anxiety churned in her stomach, but she took his hand and followed him out the back door.

Beneath a cloudless sky, they followed a path of flagstones flanked by plants she recognized as mountain bluet. It would be lovely in mid-summer, she thought.

To her surprise, the pathway led to a wild garden. A riot of greenery spilled down the sloped incline. Against a backdrop of aspen trees, Dale had cultivated rugged bitterroot and lemon yellow sage buttercup, accented by local rocks and stones.

In summer, the small, quiet space would be alive with brilliant color. In the fall, the golden glow of the changing aspens would sharply contrast the pine forest.