The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) (41 page)
Read The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) Online
Authors: Bonnie Vanak
Never had she imaged a mating rite could bring so much pleasure. For so long, she’d feared the savage wolf inside her. Now the wolf was tamed, joined forever to her loving mate. Sam knew she’d always wrestle with her dual nature of Elf and Lupine, but with Darius beside her, she would learn to control her temperament.
“I love your inventiveness. Fae magick has its benefits,” he murmured.
She stroked his damp hair, inhaling his scent deep inside her. “I love you, Darius. Are we truly together now, mated for life?”
He kissed her deeply, then pressed his forehead against hers. “Always. That’s a promise I will never break.”
She had returned to his life, and found herself. Sam smiled as she snuggled against him, listening to him hum gently as he curled his big body around her. Once she’d been lost, but Darius had found her.
And she was never getting lost again, because he’d always be at her side, guiding her home.
Epilogue
Deep in the woods, Aiden ran with the moon. The alpha called to his pack to chase and hunt. They ran with the silvery light until it shone like a small dime in the sky.
He herded his people back to the lake and watched them shift back into Skin. They headed for the cabins. When the last door closed, he loped down to the lake and drank deeply. The cool water felt good sliding down his parched throat. Gods, it had been a night.
The scent of musk and sex, Darius and Sam, hovered in the air. Nostrils flaring, he inhaled. It was a good scent, a good mating. His pack was growing. He suspected Kyle and Arianna would soon succeed at their goal and become pregnant.
Sitting by the water, he looked at the quiet lake, feeling the ancient tug to mate and breed. He thought of Nikita, the lovely Lupine who ruled the Blakemore pack, the female he’d secretly adored for years. She’d rejected him, and he had never forgotten the sting.
Soon, she would be his. His blood stirred at the thought, and his shaft slid out.
Aiden lifted his head and howled at the moon.
A figure materialized by his side. He did not turn, knowing the Silver Wizard was present.
Aiden shifted into Skin, and clothed himself by magick. He sat on the pebbled shore, his arms hooked around his legs.
“Darius and Samantha are together now for good. Your good friends are all mated, Aiden. Yet other single males in your pack grow restless for females. You know what you must do.”
He said nothing, only rested his chin on his knees.
“Now that Darius is mated, you cannot ignore the call of the mating challenge. Nikita postponed the Challenge, but she must proceed with it by next week. There are several single alpha males across the land vying for her hand.” Tristan sat on the ground beside him. “Are you strong enough to win her hand?”
Aiden growled deep in his throat. “I am.”
“But are you strong enough to love, as Darius loves Samantha?”
Startled and uneasy, he glanced at the wizard.
“Love is not the flowery stuff of bad poetry. Love for Lupines is stronger and binding. It is the love your father bore your mother…”
“That made him into a royal mess when she died.” Aiden’s jaw clenched. “I vowed never to fall into that trap. An alpha must rule and be strong, not fuck up the way my father did. He hurt my sister, nearly killed Ryder and almost destroyed his pack.”
“What Alastair did is in the past. You are the future, for your people, and for the true ruler of the Blakemore pack. She needs you as you never have been needed before. But not as you believe you are needed.”
Aiden frowned. “You make no sense, Tristan. Stop talking in riddles.”
Tristan stood, brushing at his immaculate leather trousers. “In time, you will see and understand my meaning. For now, know this. You may win the leader of the Blakemore pack’s hand, but never her heart. She belongs to another who has claimed her first, and she will surrender her virginity to him. It is in her destiny.”
A low fury simmered inside him as he envisioned Nikita lying with another man, whispering loving words to him. “Who is this bastard? Tell me, and I’ll wipe him off the face of the earth.”
“Would you?”
“Tell me! Who is it?”
Tristan smiled. “Me.”
Author’s Note
If you enjoyed this book, look for others in my Werewolves of Montana series.
Book 4: The Mating Rite
Book 4.5: The Mating Intent, Sienna’s story, out June 2014
Book 5: The Mating Challenge, Aiden’s story, coming soon.
Book 6: The Mating Season, Tristan’s story, coming soon.
Excerpt from
The Mating Intent
Book 4.5
by Bonnie Vanak
Sienna, a powerful Shadow Guard Elf, must eradicate the evil inside her or she will die. But the only source available is a healing spring guarded by Gabriel, a panther shifter whose powerful sexual allure made her break her vow of celibacy 25 years ago…
In less than an hour, she’d see him again.
Gabriel with his handsome face and rugged body hiding the panther within. He moved like a sleek, exotic big cat.
Especially in bed.
She’d made one mistake 25 years ago when she’d surrendered to his erotic touch and spent three glorious nights naked in his arms. And her king’s enforcer had punished her for it.
Never again. If she had sex this time, she’d be forever banished, never again to associate with her family or her clan. Sienna couldn’t imagine a worse fate—to be left alone, pining for the close company of her own kind.
She was no longer Shadow, straddling the thin line between darkness and light. The Fae King’s eldest son had died, his evil essence seeping into the earth. Sienna had siphoned that evil, cleansing the earth, but she was now Dark and only the sacred Spring of Danu could save her.
The spring was in a remote corner of the tangle of swamp and trees they called the Everglades. Unfortunately, it was guarded by a close-knit clan of Wylding shifters, led by Gabriel Sanders, a 200-year-old panther who rarely allowed outsiders access.
The sun began dipping into horizon by the time she reached Sanders’ Nursery. Twenty-five years ago, the nursery was a single greenhouse. Now the acres of farmland had been turned into rows of cultivated palm trees, orange and lime trees. The store was a monstrous concrete building with a juice stand, picnic tables and even a gazebo.
He’d turned his little operation into a commercial enterprise.
Inside, she pushed her way past a crowd listening to a cooking demonstration of organic vegetarian stir fry. Onions, peppers and, green beans scented the air. Sienna’s stomach rumbled, reminding her she’d skipped several meals.
The darkness had a way of eating at her appetite. If this continued, she’d waste away to bones.
She made her way over to a sales clerk stocking purple orchids on a shelf next to a glass cooler holding bottled water and juice. “Can you tell me where I can find Gabriel Sanders?”
“Do you have an appointment?” The woman did not look up.
Appointment? Sienna tapped a nail against the cooler. “I’m a friend.”
“Mr. Sanders is quite busy. You need to make an appointment.” The woman stepped down from the wooden ladder and faced her. Sienna caught the fragrance of wood smoke, peat moss and fresh herbs. A Fae, but not Elf like Sienna. This one was Fairy, judging from the delicate bone structure of her thin face, the huge ice blue eyes and her petite height. Her back appeared smooth, but hidden within the knobby points of her shoulder blades were delicate, translucent wings that unfolded.
This particular Fairy had more than a nodding acquaintance with Gabriel, judging from the spicy scent mingling with the Fairy’s natural fragrance.
Sienna locked gazes with her. “Tell him I’m here. Now.”
“I most certainly will not.”
Enough of this. Sienna felt her fury surface, the darkness clawing at her to show this snotty bitch who was really in charge. Removing the stiletto from the leather sheath tucked into her belt, she held it to the Fairy’s throat.
“Here’s my appointment. Call Gabriel over or I’ll clip your wings. Permanently.”
The Fairy’s eyes widened. “Right away!”
The woman scurried off. Sienna’s hand trembled as she tucked the blade back into its sheath. Overreact much?
She blamed the evil inside her, always looking to gain a stranglehold, and inflict pain. The dark magick was a hard, heavy ball, spreading its fingers throughout her body. She must use the spring, soon, before she lost her very identity and became as cruel as Terithen.
Then the Fae King’s enforcer would have no choice but to destroy her and scatter her soul to the four winds.
Sienna leaned against the cooler, relishing the coldness against her back, and took a minute to regain her composure.
But when she caught Gabriel’s rich scent of cocoa butter, cool rain showers and musk, her knees buckled. He smelled like sex on the beach, the kind that got you real hot, bothered and aching for more.
Sienna fisted her hands, trying to control a body suddenly weak with sensual longing.
Gabriel pushed through the crowds and stood before her.
Mouth dry, she stared at him. Hair the color of darkest gold was swept back from his forehead, lying in soft waves down to his collar. He’d cut it since she’d last seen him. A well-trimmed dark gold beard and mustache accented the curve of his red, wet upper lip. Deep set green eyes studied her with cool aplomb.
Gabriel Sanders stood six feet, three inches, all of it muscle and sinew. He wore sturdy tan work boots, faded jeans and an untucked blue plaid shirt. The shirt was rolled up at the elbows, displaying his tanned, strong forearms dusted with dark gold hair.
He was devastating.
This time, she’d resist him.
Gabriel approached and the customers parted like water to allow him through. Sienna stepped away from the cooler and threw back her shoulders. His intense gaze met hers.
“Hello Sienna.”
That deep, smoky voice stroked over her like the touch of his calloused hands upon her bare flesh. Sienna’s toes curled in her hiking boots as she remembered him whispering into her ear, his warm breath upon her neck as he surged deep inside her, creating such exquisite pleasure she’d screamed…
Not. Going. There.
“Gabriel.” Sienna jammed her hands into her pockets to keep from touching him. “I need a place to stay for a few days and use of the Spring of Danu.”
He remained silent.
Gabriel was a big guy, solid and muscled, with a quiet demeanor. You could make the mistake of underestimating him because he seldom talked much upon first meeting someone. Then you realized he was studying you, as a cat studies a mouse he may or may not devour. His silence masked a predatory assessment, determining if you were a threat, or a tasty treat.
After spending three days of carnal delights in his bed, Sienna knew she’d already been labeled the latter.
Finally, he smiled. “Same old Sienna. Always very direct in your needs.”
A flush heated her face as she remembered the last time she’d stated a particular need to him, begging for him to touch her in one place…
“No point in wasting words. You never do.”
“Right.” He tilted his head, watching her. “I do have a place where you can stay. And you may use the spring.”
It was too easy. She tensed, watching the glint in his eyes. Sienna thought fast. “Maybe before I unpack, we should go over your admission price.”
His gaze darkened and his muscled body took on a sudden intensity. She’d seen this focused concentration before, right before he’d slid deep inside her…
“No. Oh no. Hell no.”
“I didn’t tell you yet.”
“No need. I can see it here.” Sienna pointed two fingers at her eyes. “I am not spending the night with you.”
“Pixie, do you take me for someone that clichéd?” He spread out his hands, a wounded look on his face. “I thought you knew me better.”
“I do, which is why I said it.”
Gabriel sighed. “My beautiful, stubborn Elf. I would never ask you to spend the night as the price of using the sacred spring.”
Sienna relaxed a little “What then? Jewels? Money? I can take out a loan.”
He ignored that. “One night in my bed would never suffice.”
Uh oh. “Gabriel…”
Her pulse skittered a crazy beat as he began to circle her, the panther sizing up his intended prey. “I want you naked in my arms when we celebrate the Blood Moon Festival with my clan. You and I making love beneath the open sky for three entire nights, our cries of pleasure honoring the goddess.” He stepped close enough for her to see the gold flecking his jade eyes. “Making love until we’re both panting and sweaty and trembling, and then doing it again. And again. And again…”