The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) (3 page)

She nodded but still shrank away from him. “Why did you do that?”

Confused, he stared at her. “To protect you.”

“You didn’t ask me if it was okay. You didn’t give me a choice.”

For the first time, he felt angry at his friend. “You agreed to mate with me. That is the traditional way a male Lupine claims a female when they mate.”

Her mouth wobbled as pink suffused her cheeks. “I don’t understand. It was so…animalistic.”

Animalistic? Of course it was. They were deeply sensual people with the hearts of wolves. Suspicion filled him. Perhaps Sam was far more innocent than he’d believed. “Didn’t your mother tell you anything about what happens between a male and female Lupine when they mate for life?”

“She explained all about sex.” Sam’s blush deepened. “What happens when a couple mates. She didn’t say anything about biting…or…” The wounded look in her eyes crushed him. “Anything about how savage it is.”

Whoa, this was not good. What the hell was wrong with her mother?

Reining in impatience, he cupped her cheek, needing to touch her and connect. Sam trembled beneath his touch. “I love you Darius. I’m just not sure I’m going to love that part of being with you.”

“Sam, it can seem savage. It’s part of who we are. When you’re older, you’ll understand that it is part of your nature, too.”

Damn it, he’d never wanted this. She simply wasn’t mature enough to handle a Lupine’s intense sexuality. But he had no time to explain the mechanics of wolf sex, for footsteps pounded in the hallway. He hunted for his shirt, snatched it off the floor and handed it to her.

“Put this on. Stand by the bed. And don’t speak, just follow my lead.”

Sam shrugged into his shirt. It seemed to swallow her as she pulled the flaps together and buttoned it. He liked her covered by his clothing, liked his scent all over her.

For a long minute he stared at her, sealing the memory in his heart.

The door burst open. His father’s grin widened upon seeing Samantha, and then it fell as he spied Darius.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” the alpha roared. Maxim advanced, and the floorboards shook. “She’s mine. Do you dare to interfere with my business, you arrogant pup?”

Darius stepped aside and swept a hand over the bed, indicating the blood splatters. “Someone spilled her virgin’s blood. Me.”

His father’s nose twitched. “I smell no sex.”

Darius gave a cold, thin smile. “Because there was none. I gave her my mating mark. She’s mine now.”

“You cannot!”

“I can and did.” Darius rested a possessive hand on Sam’s trembling shoulder. “She’s my intended now, and you can’t touch her. Or her family. Or you violate the blood oath every alpha takes to protect mated females and you’ll bring down the wrath of the Silver Wizard upon your head.”

For the first time, Maxim looked uneasy. Good.

A challenge in his eyes, Darius locked gazes with his father.

With a snarl, Darius shifted into his wolf, sprang at his father and bit his leg, but then the alpha kicked him. The blow caught Darius in the side and he howled as his ribs broke. For a terrible moment, he could not breathe.

“Darius!” Sam screamed. She rushed his father, beating on his chest with her fists. “You bastard, you hurt him!”

Maxim pushed her aside. Gathering his strength, Darius rushed Maxim again, aiming for his groin. The powerful alpha tossed him across the room as a child might throw a doll. He hit the wall hard. Dazed, he shifted back, blood streaming down his face.

Crying out, Sam ran to Darius. Her trembling fingers touched his wound and then she palmed his side. He winced.

“It’ll heal,” he told her.

He couldn’t fight Maxim. The alpha was too powerful, and he could hurt Sam.

Fisting his hands, Darius chanted the ancient words he’d learned long ago from his eldest brother, calling upon the Silver Wizard. Darius shielded his gaze as a white light exploded in the room and a dark-eyed man materialized. Clad in black leather pants, black shirt and doeskin boots, he looked infuriated. Each strand of his shoulder-length black hair was tipped with silver, glinting like polished chrome.

Tristan, the Silver Wizard, one of the four judges of OtherWorlders.

“He wants Sam, but she’s mine,” Darius told him, holding his side and wheezing from the pain. “I marked her.”

The sorcerer glanced at the intricate web of runes upon Sam’s neck that appeared after the bite. Tristan looked at Maxim. “You will not touch Samantha. Darius has claimed her through the sacred Lupine mating mark, a bond you shall not break.”

A growl rippled from Maxim’s throat. “He has not consummated the bond.”

“Touch her and suffer the consequences.” The powerful sorcerer squeezed his fist and then opened it to reveal a glowing silver ball of energy. It bounced gently in his palm.

Maxim stared at the sparking globe. “Fine, I’ll leave her alone,” he muttered.

The Silver Wizard hurled the ball into the fireplace. Logs exploded with shattering force. Samantha cringed.

“You’re a bastard when it comes to women, Maxim, but otherwise a fair and good ruler. You sacrifice much for your pack,” Tristan told him.

The wizard went to Darius and touched his aching side. Warmth spread through his body, his ribs mending beneath the healing touch. Tristan raised a brow. “Put some clothes on Darius, before you ruin my eyesight.”

As Darius waved a hand and clothed himself by magick, Tristan looked at Maxim. “Why are you such an asshole? You were never this way when Lisa ruled at your side.”

The alpha scowled. Then his expression clouded and he simply looked grief-stricken. “I lost my mate… She is the only one I shall ever love. I miss her.”

Fleeting pity filled him. Darius’ throat tightened as he stared at his father’s lost expression.

Tristan shook his head. “You do not honor your love for Lisa through this act. Straighten up and be the male she mated, the male she loved. Choose another female to champion and stand by her side.”

The Silver Wizard’s mouth flattened. “But if you ever touch Samantha again, or threaten to hurt her family, I will burn your balls and turn you from an alpha into a eunuch with one flick of my finger.”

Tristan pointed his forefinger and thumb at the wall and said softly, “Bang.”

The wall exploded.

Darius raised a brow. “Overkill much?”

The Silver Wizard shrugged. “I’ve been watching too many Western movies.” He waved a hand and the wall reassembled, but Sam still shivered.

“So violent,” she whispered.

Darius put a comforting arm around her. He looked directly at Tristan. “One more favor.”

“I am not a genie, Darius, here to grant you three wishes.”

“It’s not me.” He rubbed his nose against Sam’s temple, feeling her tremble. “Can you help her? She’s already traumatized enough.”

Sighing, the wizard approached Sam. “Close your eyes.”

When she did, he gently touched her forehead. “This will erase all your memories of me, little one. I have no desire to leave you distressed more than you already are.”

He waved a hand and vanished. Sam opened her eyes and looked around. Seeing Maxim, she swallowed hard and stood, her stance rigid and proud.

“I’m not sleeping with you,” she told his father in a faltering voice. “I don’t care what you do. My family and I will survive.”

Maxim glanced at her and shrugged. “Very well. I will not force you, nor hurt your family.”

She looked pleased with herself.

Then he faced Darius, who struggled to his feet. “Good move, boy. You bested me. For the last time, you’ve won.”

Panic clogged his throat as the elder Lupine smiled. No one ever bested Maxim.

“No loss. Samantha is too sweet for my taste. I will keep my blood oath and not touch her nor her family. Your intended and her whole family have nothing to fear from me and will remain in the pack, safe and protected.”

Samantha’s shoulders sagged with relief, but Darius waited, his heart pounding hard.

“Your intended, aye. But it’s a union that will remain unconsummated. You have five minutes to pack and leave. Say your goodbyes now.”

Stunned, he stared at his sire. “You’re throwing me out?”

Maxim smiled. “You attacked me.”

“You tried to rape Sam!”

“It matters not. You know the rules, pup. You dared to lay a hand on your alpha and now you will pay the price.”

Pain sliced through him like a hot razor. He couldn’t breathe. A boulder sat on his chest.

Sam bristled at Maxim. “You can’t throw him out!”

The alpha glanced at her with no more interest than he’d show a flea. “I can.”

Gods, Darius loved her, loved her fire, her spunk, and her anger on his behalf. She stood up for him. No one else ever had.

“I’ll go with you. Mom and Marcia will be safe here,” she told him.

Joy filled him. He curled his fingers around hers, feeling the connection, feeling hope for the first time. “I’ll work hard for us, Sam. You’ll see. I don’t care what it takes, I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

“No.”

They turned to see Maxim glaring at them. “If Samantha goes with you, I’ll throw both her mother and her sister out of the pack.”

Darius’ heart sank to his stomach.

“No! You can’t do that! They’d die.” Sam stared at his father, her eyes wide.

Maxim shrugged. “Your choice.”

Turning on his heel, Darius headed to his small attic room as his father slammed the door behind them. Sam followed, helping him stuff clothing and belongings into a knapsack. Then she sagged against the wall.

“Darius, he can’t mean it. You’re his son!”

“One of many. He has others. It’s all right.” His pain meant nothing. Sam mattered more. Only Sam.

He clasped Sam’s slender shoulders, staring into the depths of her violet eyes, as lovely and enchanting as a moonlit night.

“Come with me, Sam. Please. I’ll find a way to care for your mother and your sister.”

“I wish I could go with you,” she whispered. “But they’ll never survive outside this pack. They’re too weak.”

“I can find a way…”

“No.” Sam looked at him, her gaze glittering with unshed tears. “I can’t risk it. Not until they’re stronger. Will I ever see you again?”

“You will. I promise.” He rubbed a thumb along her soft cheek. “
Thou art lovely as a summer’s day. And I will never forget thee
,” he whispered. Leaning down, he tenderly kissed her soft, warm lips.

Their first kiss, and last, for a long time. Darius leaned his forehead against hers and rubbed his thumb along her wobbling lower lip. “My father, nor anyone else in the pack, won’t dare hurt you now, Sam. You’re mine. And I will come back for you one day.”

“When?”

“When I can.” Darius drew away, his guts coiling and twisting.

For a moment he studied her, knowing it was their last time together, keeping the vision of her sealed in his mind. Sam’s huge gaze, luminous with moisture, silky blonde hair spilling down her back, her trembling fingers clutching his shirt.

“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee,” he recited from the sonnet she’d taught him to read.

He headed for the door and turned for one last look. “I promise I will return for you,” he whispered.

Then he trudged down the stairs and left her staring after him with tears in her eyes.

Chapter 1

Portland, Oregon, ten years later

The bastard had broken his promise. Like all men, he’d uttered a pledge and then changed his mind. But this time, she’d make him pay.

Sitting alone at a table at the Irving Street Kitchen, Samantha Evers rubbed the heel of her hand against her forehead and tried to hide her shaken self-composure. When the waiter inquired for the fourth time if she wanted to order, she gave a polite smile. She loved this restaurant, and eating here was a rare treat. Her salary barely paid for a studio apartment. And this trendy place catered to Portland’s upscale and hip crowd.

Samantha glanced up and saw her date mounting the restaurant steps. Finally! Heart thudding against her chest, she watched him walk inside. Yes, Todd wore a dark gray suit with a rose in his lapel—clichéd, but reliable—as he’d said in the email. And he wasn’t as handsome as the online dating site photo, with flaxen brown hair thinning in front, and the beginnings of a paunch, but he was cute.

Maybe this time, she wouldn’t get stood up.

As he walked toward her, Samantha beamed and waved a hand.

Todd saw her and his face…oh my God, his expression…

For a moment he remained motionless, as if struck by indecision. Then her blind date walked forward and approached the table. Perched on the edge of her chair, she waited.

His smile was tight. “You’re Samantha.”

She nodded, her chest tight.
Please, sit down, give me a chance
…

“You’re fat. Bigger than your photo.”