The Mystic Wolves (3 page)

“Enough. I was serious, Darcy. Time for your punishment.” The ground began to move, and I tilted my head up, trying to figure out where he was taking me. The pack was still standing there, smiling widely over the spectacle. I saw my team’s quarterback, and I screamed as loud as I could.

“Make sure you win! Why do you think I did it?” This spurred everyone into action, and noise erupted as my team repeated the play, determined to score the final touchdown. Giving my body one last squirm of resistance, I prepared myself for what would no doubt be an amazing evening.

“I hope you still think that was worth it once I’m done punishing you,” Mason murmured, taking me farther away from everyone. My insides melted, and I relaxed into him.

“Promises, promises,” I purred. I couldn’t stop the wide smile from spreading across my face. He could think he was a big and tough Alpha, but I knew better. He’d been waiting for any excuse to carry me off, eager for some alone time.

He didn’t take me far—just out of earshot, but completely hidden from the view of the pack. We didn’t have much time as the smell of the BBQ filled the air, and my stomach growled slightly in anticipation. It seemed I’d worked up an appetite, and I was glad someone had seen sense to start it while the game was happening.

Finally letting me down, Mason gave me a few moments to regain my bearings before he started to make his move. He wore a cocky smile, one that screamed he had something in mind for me. I wasn’t going to give in too easy though, and for every step he took, I made another backward. He stretched out, only to have me slap his hand away quickly.

“Come on, baby. You have my attention. Wasn’t that the whole point behind everything?” He tried to pull me in close, and I was barely able to step out of his reach.

“Of course, but it didn’t mean you had to cart me about like a sack of potatoes in front of everyone. You acted like a caveman!” I suppressed the giggle which threatened to break free due to the look on his face.

“I’m no caveman. I’m the Alpha who can do whatever he wants, and right now I want to kiss you.” He took another step forward.

“What you need to learn is some manners, Mister. I need to be wooed, not beat over the head and dragged away.” I placed my hands on my hips, deciding now was a good time to make a stand because sooner or later, I’d run out of room to maneuver.

“You want to be wooed, huh? I’m not sure I know how to do that. You may have to tell me what to do.” The cocky grin he’d been wearing suddenly became softer, his eyes twinkling, and I caught a flash of the boyish charm I’d fallen for.

“Oh no, I’m not explaining anything to you. You should know by now, Mr. Almighty-I-Am-Alpha. Just know this—if you don’t get it right … you’re a dead man.”

He let out a rich, throaty laugh, and the sound made the soles of my feet tingle. In fact, it made everything tingle, and I braced myself. I was about to get ravished.

I didn’t move a muscle as he advanced, or resist as he finally gathered me into his arms. My eyes instantly closed and I tilted my head—waiting. Everything was still, our surroundings dimmed to a quiet hush.

He moved slowly, brushing his mouth against mine softly, tenderly. It was almost like a whisper, the feel of his breath fanning gently over my skin, and when he repeated the motion, goose bumps erupted.

Even though I knew it was coming, the touch of his tongue tracing my bottom lip had me leaning into him, my hands gripping the top of his pants to steady myself. I don’t know how long we stood there for, his mouth barely caressing mine before the mood changed, and he made his move.

His arms tightened around me, taking away any chance of escaping, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Letting out a sigh of contentment, it was my last thought as I opened my mouth and he swept in, deepening the kiss.

It was nothing short of seductive—the way he dipped and tasted. When I felt his hands slide through my hair, fingers tugging at the loosened strands and releasing it from the ponytail, I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck. I wanted to anchor myself to him.

My body was thrumming, every part of me alive and basking in Mason’s touch. I felt myself weaken, my legs like jelly before he slowly began breaking away. With our mouths only a fraction apart, he leaned in, sucking my lip again into his mouth, his tongue moving for one last loving stroke.

He lowered his head, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. Once he found my sweet spot, he nipped gently, and the sensations shot fiery pulses into my body. He knew what he was doing, proving he understood exactly what I needed. Swirling his tongue to take away the slight sting, he chuckled low.

“So do I live another day, baby?”

It took a moment for me to realize what he was saying, and all I could do was nod.

“Are you going to be okay to go back to the group? By the smell of things, the meal is almost ready.”

All I could do was agree again—slow to shake the effects of his kiss.

Taking me by the hand, he led me back to where everyone had started gathering. Tables had been set up, and some of the pack were unfolding chairs. Our appearance was answered with a round of applause and wolf whistles—my disheveled look the source of many comments.

Grinning, I kissed Mason on the cheek and walked over to Jasmine. She was busy moving plates and dishes around on the main table as others were bringing them.

“What do you need me to do?” I asked, moving a stack of cups over so she could place a bowl of potato salad down. “Is there anything more to bring out?”

She began to answer, but one look at me and she burst into laughing. “I see my brother made good use of his time.” She lifted her hand, and began to straighten out my hair.

“Of course, just like I knew he would.” I couldn’t help the confident smile.

“Well, I think we’ve about got it all done, so you both have perfect timing. We’re just waiting for Daniel to finish grilling, and we can all eat.”

Looking around the table, I noticed the absence of steak sauce. “You know, the guys are going to throw a fit if they don’t have their precious sauce. It may induce a riot,” I scoffed, even though there was some truth to my statement. One thing I knew was the pack brothers took their grilling very serious.

“They’re just going to have to settle for ketchup then.” Jasmine laughed.

“What do we need to settle for?” Daniel interrupted, placing a fresh plate of hot steaks onto the table.

“You’re going to need to eat with ketchup today. No problem, right?”

With tongs in one hand, he whipped them around to point at us. “Oh hell yes, there’s a problem. Everyone knows you can’t use that stuff on your meat. It’s practically blasphemous. What are you two … heathens?” The look of disgust was evident. He looked around for support from the rest of the pack and was answered with a number of agreements. Men.

“Fine then, we’ll quickly run into town and grab some before you all die from the inconvenience.” I moved away from the table, gesturing Jasmine to follow.

“Where are you going, and why?”

I hadn’t heard Mason approaching, and I took in a deep breath. “Daniel seems to think if he doesn’t have the right condiment for his meat, it’s a travesty, and I’m worried it may scar him permanently.” I cast my gaze over at my pack brother, and rolled my eyes again. “So to save his fragile ego, Jasmine and I are going to quickly head to the store to buy some.”

“Absolutely not.” The tone in his voice said it all—there’d be no argument.

“Do we need to go through this every time I want to go somewhere? I won’t be alone, and we’ll be back before you know it. You can’t keep me under lock and key.”

“I’m not trying to, Darcy. I just want to keep you both safe, and my gut says to send someone else for it.”

“Ugh, you and your gut.” I couldn’t finish my sentence, I was so annoyed.

“It’s just into town, and the girls will be back before you know it. They’re going to keep pestering you until you cave anyway,” Daniel interjected, pulling a face.

“Fine, but I’m coming with you then.”

“That defeats the purpose! I’m not asking for a lot, just a little independence.” I recognized the moment I’d won. Squealing in happiness, I flung my arms around his neck and feathered kisses over his cheek. “I love you. I promise we won’t be long.”

“Okay, there and back. No side trips.” Even though he offered a smile, there was a clear warning in his voice.

Grabbing hold of Jasmine, we made our goodbyes. But before we were out of earshot, I heard Daniel slap Mason on the back.

“Relax, Bro. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Chapter Three

We hadn’t been in town long when I realized someone was following us. I’d brushed it off as my imagination getting the best of me, but when Jasmine started getting nervous as well, we abandoned our plans, and started heading home.

But whoever was stalking us hadn’t given up, and now we were trapped.

The loud click of a gun being cocked stopped me cold. I didn’t need to turn around to see death had finally caught us. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and grimaced.

I dug deep for courage as my hand was squeezed. Jasmine would be terrified enough without seeing fear in my eyes and if we were going to get out of this, I needed to keep her calm—or at least calmer than I felt.

Giving her a look I hoped conveyed confidence, I motioned for her to stay quiet as I positioned her behind me and turned to look at our attacker.

I saw the gun, aimed straight at me. The finger poised over the trigger ready to shoot. The hand holding it was steady and trained to adjust to every movement. I shied to the left and back again. Without hesitation, the gun’s motion mimicked mine.

Damn. Judging from the precise actions—whoever was holding the gun knew what they were doing. If they took a shot, they wouldn’t miss and out running a bullet was too risky.

A quick sniff at the air and drawing on my other senses told me I was dealing with a human male and I couldn’t help but grin at the bitter scent of fear mixed in with the sweetness of his excitement. It was intoxicating

My body began to relax. As long as I paid attention to the gun still pointed at me, and made no crazy moves, our chances of escape had just increased.

I looked beyond the weapon and recognized the determined face staring back at me. The emotions rolling off his body caused my wolf to raise her head and howl. This wasn’t a pack mate or dominant wolf to play submissive with by showing my throat. Looking at our attacker, I could feel my hackles rise as she growled, desperate to take over.

I sent a silent command to the wolf inside me to stand down. I explained there would be no need for her to come forward because I had everything under control. She whined impatiently at being refused.

Something didn’t seem right about the situation. The man standing before me was Gary, and although it caused a slight disturbance in the Pack, he had been declared an official friend.

Without a doubt, Gary knew who Jasmine and I were and our importance. He’d been warned any act of aggression towards the Alpha’s intended mate and sister was an instant death sentence – regardless of the person.

My wolf stepped forward again, this time nudging me harder. She sensed the disturbance and it unsettled her. She could smell the danger in the air and begged for permission to take control - to protect us. I could deal with the situation as a wolf, but I was serious when I told Mason to try reasoning before violence.

I remembered the last heated discussion between us. He’d laughed when I said we should try to take more peaceful approaches when dealing with conflicts. I didn’t always agree with the werewolf mentality of bite first—ask questions later. I’d told him I’d seen too much violence in my life, and was tired of it. When I showed I wouldn’t back down, he nodded his approval. I think he got a kick out of the way I stood up to him because our debates always ended up with me pressed up against a surface, Mason kissing me as though he was hungry.

“You don’t want to do this, Gary” I spoke, putting as much compulsion in my voice as I could without triggering him. I stepped forward, only to stop when I noticed his eyes darting toward Jasmine. He held a crazed look, and I needed his focus away from her.

“Don’t assume to know what I want,” he spat out, spittle flying from his lips.

My mind raced. Mentally cringing, I remembered my last words to Mason.
“You don’t need to come with us every time we leave the house. There’s no threat. We’ll be back soon.”
That had been my intention, but when I sensed someone following, I’d tried to evade them, but with no luck, unable to leave and get back to pack property. Searching for somewhere private to hide until the danger had passed, I wanted to laugh because my brilliant plan had clearly bitten us in the butt. I hadn’t saved us at all. We were now trapped between freedom and a madman with a gun.

Mentally I crossed my fingers as I assessed the situation, hoping this would be another case of me escaping by the skin of my teeth with no harm done.

Jasmine’s exhale of breath drove home the seriousness of the moment. I knew she was scared, and I needed to get us out of here.

I took in Gary’s expression and noticed the trickle of sweat rolling down the sides of his cheek. The man may have nerves of steel when it came to handling weapons, but he wasn’t as unaffected as he let on. Judging by the slight tick in his right eye and the way he kept licking his lips, he was nervous and I could use that to my advantage.