The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) (30 page)

Darius stopped rubbing his jaw. Shock filled his eyes. “My mother submitted to a mating rite with Maxim?”

“They loved each other so much they chose the rite, though I advised them against it. That is why when Lisa died, Maxim’s heart died with her. Only the strongest of males, and females, can survive the death of a mate after the intense bonding of a mating rite without the grief altering their personality.”

Sam’s stomach gave a sickening twist. Maxim had turned into a savage beast. And then she remembered the amber glow in Darius’ eyes. The loss of control during sex when he’d taken her the first time.

“Darius is pure Lupine, son of a powerful alpha. During a mating rite, he cannot suppress his primitive instincts. He will turn pure wolf, Samantha.” Tristan’s expression darkened. “I am changing your training. You will spend the next two nights with Kara and the females, learning from them, working with them to become a female Lupine. You will have no contact whatsoever with Darius. I have already told Kara and Ryder.”

Her jaw dropped. “You can’t do this!”

“I already have.”

The wizard waved a hand and vanished.

Chapter 15

For the next two days, Sam remained secluded with the females, learning all she could about being Lupine. Sharing in chores and making dinner, watching the children and most of all, working with Kara in wolf form to release her inner inhibitions.

On the second night, Kara took her into the woods. “Part of your training is to know everything about our lives, Sam. Everything. Including how we mate as wolves.”

Sam’s heart rate increased.

Kara squeezed her hands. “You must be fully prepared to accept the consequences of what will happen if you choose a mating rite with Darius. Two of our pack, Trey and his mate, Lauren, are trying to get pregnant. She is in heat. They gave permission for you to observe.”

Dear gods. Sam’s mouth went dry. “You want me to watch them have sex?”

“No. You are going to watch them mate.” Kara led her to a small clearing in the woods, a circular area. A blanket lay on the ground. She led Sam over to a thicket of trees and told her to sit. Hidden by the thick bushes, she could still see the clearing.

“Stay here and do not make a sound. When they finish, leave. I’ll be waiting by the bridge for you.”

The couple walked into the clearing, holding hands. Then, stripping nude, they lay down and Trey took Lauren into his arms. Kissing, they entwined together like snakes, flesh rubbing over flesh. Lauren flipped over onto her stomach.

Pillowing her head on her folded arms, she thrust her ass upward. Trey caressed her bottom with soothing, sensual strokes. He slipped a finger between her legs.

“You’re ready for me, aren’t you?” he murmured.

An agonized tension seemed to grip Lauren. She raised her bottom higher into the air. Trey grasped her hips. Bending over her, he slowly pushed his thick penis into her wet, yielding flesh. She arched as he withdrew, then thrust into her again. His muscled body held her in place like a wild animal dominating its mate. Trapped beneath his heavy weight, she could not escape.

His penis pumped slowly and steadily into her. Trey pulled his mate onto all fours. He cupped her breasts, squeezing gently. A growl rumbled deep in his throat as he nipped her neck possessively.

She growled back and pushed against him. Wriggling, as if trying to get him in deeper. She tossed her head back and moaned. He gripped her hips, steadying her.

“How bad do you want me? All of it?” he asked thickly.

“Deeper, fuck me deeper.”

Arousal bit, sharp and sweet as Sam watched the pair. Trey pounded into his mate hard, his flesh smacking wetly against her. She saw his thick cock hammer in and out like a piston, wet and red and glistening. And then he pulled out.

Shocked, she realized his penis had grown even longer. Moisture dripped from the head, which was now pointed like an arrow.

Trey threw back his head and howled at the moon. And shifted. Sam blinked and saw Lauren now in wolf-skin.

Lauren stretched her hind legs and arched her tail, moving it to the side. Growling, Trey sat back, his shaft long and red and glistening. He leaned forward and licked her vulva and Lauren howled. Then he mounted her, his penis penetrating his mate’s vulva. Trey pulled her back with his forepaws, and began to thrust hard, panting in excitement as Lauren stood still in this submissive pose. Trey pumped harder and faster, snarling and pawing at his mate. Once he lowered his head and bit her neck.

Lauren raised her head and howled as he thrust harder and faster and then the big male shuddered in climax. He partly withdrew and Sam could see his thick, red cock. Still joined together, the couple collapsed to the ground and lay there for a few minutes. A short while later, in wolf form, he pulled out and tenderly licked Lauren’s muzzle. They shifted back into human form and went into each other’s arms, murmuring.

Sam quietly snuck away, the space between her legs throbbing, her nipples aching and full. Wolf sex wasn’t as brutal as she’d thought. It was primitive, yes, but wildly exciting. It was savage and erotic and left her craving Darius.

Overwhelmed by the sheer erotic intensity of the mating, she headed for the bridge. Then stopped, tilted her head, hearing a faint but haunting sound.

Music.

And then all arousal faded, leaving her cold and shivering, thinking of how savage the wolf mating had been. How the male had driven roughly into the female, making her howl and whimper, how he’d held her down.

But had it been, or only rough sex that both had enjoyed? Ashamed of her desire, and deeply torn over her feelings, Sam put a hand to her temple. What the hell was she? The mating had excited her, but now only made her feel threatened.

Kara’s scent threaded through her nostrils. She turned, seeing the Lupine’s eyes glow in the moonlight.

“Are you all right, Sam?”

“Yes.”

As she followed the alpha female back to the bridge, she could not help but glance over her shoulder, wondering why the music enchanted her so. And made her feel so ashamed of being aroused by Lupine sex.

The next night Ryder announced they’d run as pack. Sam felt more confident in her wolf abilities and was eager to see Darius again.

They assembled on the other side of the bridge in the forest clearing. A few select Lupines had remained behind to watch over the children, who were having a sleepover. Darius stood off to the side. She snuck over and squeezed his hand.

Smiling softly, his gaze filled with tenderness, he squeezed back. “Hey, sweetheart. Missed you.”

Words caught in her throat. Sam swallowed past a sudden lump and then Ryder was there, and they could talk no more.

Ryder held up his hand for attention. “Listen up, people. No more solo runs in wolf-skin. On a patrol last night, Marcus spotted signs of Fae in our territory. They could be friendly, just visiting here to check on the woodlands. But I’m not taking chances. Their celestial moon celebration is next week and they’re gathering. If you run into a Fae, do not challenge it. Back up, never showing fangs, and when it’s out of sight, run the other way.”

A knot twisted Sam’s stomach. She raised her hand. Ryder looked amused. “Yes, Sam.”

“Why do Lupines hate the Fae so much?”

His mouth turned down. “They’re sneaky, sly and they don’t like us because we eat meat and we’re obvious predators. That’s all you need to know. That and to avoid them at all costs in wolf-skin.”

He nodded to the tall, thin man at his side. “I’m dividing the pack into thirds. Marcus here is choosing twenty-five Lupines other than Darius and Sam and following the river west. We’ll meet here when the moon is at its apex.”

Ryder’s lieutenant issued orders. She marveled at how smoothly the pack followed and shifted into wolf-skin.

The alpha called some other Lupines, forming a tight group of twenty. Ryder turned to Darius. “Darius, you take this group and follow the river east. We meet back here at the river bank at the moon’s zenith.”

She watched Darius’ mouth work, and his brows draw together. He didn’t like it. Not one bit. “What about Sam?” he asked.

“She and the others, and my mate, are with me.” Ryder folded his arms and watched Darius.

Giving Sam a look, he seemed to struggle with the order. Being separated from his mate apparently screamed against every male instinct he possessed. Darius was a natural alpha.

But though his nostrils flared and he narrowed his gaze at Ryder, he gave a rough nod. Darius glanced at her. “Remember, Sam. Obey the alpha. Always.”

He kissed her, his mouth warm and soft. Then Darius shifted. Lifting his head, he howled into the night, his music haunting and wild. A shiver of anticipation raced down her spine.

Then her mate vanished into the woods, the others following at his heels.

Ryder’s eyes seemed to glow in the silver moonlight. “Sam, you’re with me and Kara. Stick close to us at all times. Do not leave our side. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s do it.”

She shifted into wolf-skin and pawed the ground, senses overwhelmed and sharp. Sam pricked her ears and followed Ryder and Kara close behind. They loped through the forest, wending through trees. Ryder stopped at a tall pine and lifted his leg, marking his turf. Then he made a sharp turn north, Kara at his side.

Sam’s senses exploded with the night. Her nose twitched as she scented old rabbit scat and deer blood. Salivating, she nosed the ground, following Ryder’s lead. And then she heard it.

Sam raised her head, her ears pricking.

Music floated through the air, a haunting melody of flute and lyre that tugged at her spirit. Sam stopped in her tracks, paws digging into the earth. The notes seductively wound around her senses, a lyrical spider’s web, delicate and gossamer. A pall of fine mist shimmered in the pathway ahead, glowing with an odd silvery light. Eyes watering, she blinked.

Ryder turned and growled an order.
Follow me.

The others loped behind him. But the music was ethereal and lovely, and she could not resist its pull. Sensations filled her, the overwhelming urge to find the source of the melody and surrender herself to its haunting tune.

Sam glanced at the retreating backsides of the Lupines.

She glanced into the thick, dark woods.

Torn, she went to follow the other wolves, but the music pulled at her like a child tugging at his mother’s skirts. She could not go with the wolves. She must find the source.

Enchanted by the sweet, haunting notes, she followed the song. Wolf-skin rippled and then vanished, leaving her naked, clad only in Skin. At a small clearing in the woods, pale moonlight spilled upon a grassy circle. Enthralled, she sat at the edge.

Fairies appeared, like soap bubbles floating from the sky. Dozens of twinkling lights danced in the cool night air. The sweet music became clearer, and having shed her wolf-skin, she suddenly understood the meaning of the song. Sam sat, hugging her legs, and listened to the dance of the Fairies as they sang, their wings beating the air as swiftly as hummingbirds. They bathed her spirit in soothing peace with every note, their blue, scarlet and green glowing forms tiny as dragonflies, brilliant as star-shine. Sam stood and began to dance around the glade herself, feeling her spirit melt into the sweet harmony of their song. The tiny Fae sang of the rain upon the branches, the whisper of wind across the meadow, the heartbeat of new life in the forest.

And then just as quickly as they’d appeared, the Fairies darted away, leaving the glade cold and empty once more. Sam glanced at the sky. Dread filled her.

“I’m in deep shit,” she whispered.

Swiftly changing back to wolf-skin, she raced back to the forked path. But there was no sign of the others, no scent. Then a loud, deep howl echoed through the forest.

Darius.

She followed the sound, racing through trees and scrabbling through brush. Sam bounded into the clearing by the riverbank, near the bridge.

The pack stood silently, clad now in Skin and clothing, looking at her. A terrible foreboding filled her as the crowd parted, and Ryder walked through the opening they’d made.

“You disobeyed the alpha.” Darius approached too, his expression grim as he looked down at her. “What did I tell you, Sam?”

Miserable and confused, she hung her head, giving a wolfish whimper.

“Samantha.”

She lifted her head to regard the alpha.

“There are consequences for disobedience. Pack must obey the rules. Those who refuse, for whatever reason, are punished.” Ryder turned to Darius. “Since she is your chosen mate, you will administer the punishment. You know what to do.”

Her mate looked coolly at Ryder, then glanced at her. For a single moment, she saw a haunting shadow in his gaze. Then he shifted into wolf-skin.

Darius bared his fangs and growled deeply. Stalking forward, he looked massive, a muscled fighting machine that could easily snap her neck.

Suddenly he raced forward, 200 pounds of muscled steel and razor-sharp teeth. Sam panicked for a sheer moment, then remembered the submissive wolf position Kara had taught her. She rolled over and showed her belly, accepting the reprimand. Stopping short, he sniffed her genitals. Darius climbed atop her, still growling, pinning her with his superior weight and strength.