Untamed (Wolf Lake) (16 page)

Theirs wasn't a large pack, and most of the members were pushing middle age. It meant that there wasn't a lot of jockeying for position.

"Dimitri is gone!" William said.
 

"He's still alpha." Kate's objection lacked heat, the words more for form's sake.

"He's not the male he once was and there is nothing we can do about that." William told her. "But we can do something to save the rest of us from going down with him."

"I can't - " Kate started, her body jerking as Craig rounded the corner.

"What can't you do?" Craig asked, knowing eyes darting back and forth between the two werewolves. "Don't tell me you two are planning a
coup
?"

William stiffened as Craig laughed.

"By all means, try." Craig urged, seeing their worried glances. "I won't stop you. Just don't expect me to clean up another bloody mess when Dimitri gets through with you."

William watched Craig disappear into the pack house.

"Dimitri isn't the only one we have to worry about," Kate said.

"One problem at a time," William said, knowing she was right. Dimitri was insane, but Craig was calculating. William wondered which male was more dangerous.

Craig found Dimitri inside the pack house. The old alpha was dumping out drawers and knocking knick-knacks off the shelves. "You wanted to see me?"

"We so rarely get what we want," Dimitri said, flicking an ivory colored vase to the floor and stepping on the shattered glass.

"Some of us less so than others," Craig muttered, tip-toeing around the mess. "What are you looking for?"

"I'll know it when I find it," Dimitri said. Something was missing, something important. Smaller than a bread box? No. No, no, no. Bigger. It was bigger. Dimitri rubbed at his temple with the heel of his hand. Why couldn't he remember?

"Headache?" Craig asked, eyeing his alpha. Not a good sign.

"You weren't good enough for her," Dimitri said, dropping his hand and ignoring his beta's question.
 

"Excuse me?" Craig asked, narrowing his eyes.

"My daughter," Dimitri said, sending another glass to the ground. "You were always sniffing after her, worse than a bitch in heat."

Craig stiffened. Dimitri's daughter had held the position of alpha female for nearly ten years, taking the spot from her predecessor at an early age. There was no stronger female in the pack, and no female better suited for Craig's position as beta and for his plans.

"As the strongest male in this pack - " Craig snarled.

"
I
am the strongest male in this pack," Dimitri said, turning cold eyes on his beta. "Do not think that I am unaware of your machinations."

Craig swallowed and dropped his eyes. "My apologies. I simply meant that, of the possible mates for your daughter, I am the strongest."

Dimitri crushed the glass he'd been holding in his hand, letting the shards of bloodied glass slip through his fingers like sand. "But mating you would have bought me nothing."

Craig blinked. Dimitri had never spoken of his daughter's mating in such mercantile terms.
 

"But in the end, you were left with nothing," Craig pointed out.

Bent over, his hand resting on another drawer handle, Dimitri stilled.
 

Craig waited for the explosion. It wouldn't be the first time he'd caught the wrong side of Dimitri's spiraling insanity.

Dimitri pulled on the draw handle, letting the entire thing fall to the floor and spilling silverware on top of the layer of broken glass. "Seems a fate that should be shared with others."

Interested, Craig shifted closer. An order to take out Nafarius would be a welcome one. "Was there something in particular you had in mind?"

"I've lost the most important person in my life," Dimitri said. Damn Nafarius for failing to protect Natasha when Dimitri couldn't! "I'd like to return the favor."

"His mate?" Craig asked. "Why not the male himself?"

"Death would be quick, relatively painless." Dimitri pulled out the last of the kitchen drawers, spilling the contents to the ground. "He's strong enough to survive the severing of the mate bond.

Craig watched Dimitri head for the front door.

"Let him suffer with the loss for the rest of his very long life."

****

Dinner was a boisterous affair. If Natasha was expecting something somber after the day's events, she was sure to be disappointed. With the males back and the trip into Roslyn all planned out, the night took on a festive air.

Natasha sat listening to the others telling stories. With her back pressed against his chest, she could feel Roland's laughter even when the room grew too noisy to hear.
 

Nearby, Sam sat next to her mate, Maddie's head resting in her lap. The alpha female was paying rapt attention to the storytellers, laughing at the exaggerated tales of wild hunts, and absently playing with Maddie's hair.
 

As Natasha watched, Nafarius leaned in, whispering something against his mate's ear that had her smiling up at him, her face shining.

"Do you ever wonder about it?" Roland asked, his voice close to her ear. Looking up at him, Natasha saw that he, too, was watching the alpha couple.

"Being mated to Nafarius?" She clarified. Behind her, Roland remained relaxed, his question more curious than anything else. "No. He was never the one I wanted."

Roland thrilled at her words, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her back against his chest as he nuzzled her ear. "Tell me again."

"I want you." Natasha declared huskily, the words infused with desire. "Preferably naked."

"That can be arranged," Roland growled. Slipping out from behind her, he rose to his feet, offering her his hand. Inside, his wolf surfaced, brushing up against Roland's barriers with a low growl of approval.

Natasha let Roland pull her to her feet, her body brushing up against his before he stepped back. A quick glance at his face revealed eyes gone gold.

Anticipation coiled in the pit of her stomach as Roland hurriedly led them through the common area, slipping out of the room and heading back to his burrow.

Reaching his room, Roland didn't bother with a light, reaching for Natasha and sinking into a kiss. She tasted sweet, her lips parting on a soft sigh as he slipped inside.

Natasha surrendered to him, her arms slipping around his neck, one hand reaching to pull his hair free of its usual tie.
 

Roland growled as she fisted his hair, her body taut as she pulled herself up against his chest. Breaking the kiss, he nipped at her bottom lip, licking away the slight sting before pulling her dress over her head.

Natasha's nipples hardened in response to the rush of cool air, her skin tingling as Roland ran his hands down the line of her ribs.

"You too," she said, pleased when he didn't try and stop her from pulling his shirt over his head.

Roland couldn't stop touching her, his hands roaming down the long line of her back to the narrow dip of her waist. Bending his head, he dove back between her lips, aware of her hands reaching for the front of his jeans. Eager to feel the press of her skin, he helped her shuck off the stiff denim, pushing it off his hips and kicking his feet free.

Natasha groaned as Roland, gloriously naked, wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing their bodies together as he lifted her off of her feet.

Carrying Natasha to the bed, Roland eased them down on the mattress. Hands braced on either side of her head, he nudged her thighs apart, watching her face as he poised himself at her entrance. "Tell me again," he ordered.

"I want you," she whispered, her body achingly empty as she waited for him. "Always."

Roland shuddered, his big body rocking forward.
 

And when he slipped inside of her, whispering her name, it was face to face, their eyes locked as he loved her.

****

"That is not how it happened!" Nafarius objected on a laugh.

"My hand to God! Would I lie to you?" Marcus asked Sam, his eyes bright with laughter. The entire pack had spent the evening taking turns telling Sam stories of her mate growing up. "He thought for sure he had a seven point buck cornered - "

"Maybe not seven..." Nafarius grumbled, knowing there was no hope for it, Marcus was on a roll.

"- only that wasn't what he flushed out." Marcus said.

"What was it?" Sam asked, her sides aching from laughing.

"All I can say is, never scare a skunk," Nafarius finished, his nose wrinkling with the memory.

"No!" Sam laughed, her hands covering her nose.

"His mother made him sleep outside for a week," Marcus said, a quick look told him his alpha was taking the evening's ribbing in the heart with which it was offered, everyone enjoying sharing their stories with Sam.

"I don't blame her," Sam said, smiling. She had yet to meet her in-laws and still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about having some.
 

Out of the corner of her eye, Sam saw Roland slipping away with Natasha, the couple moving quickly. She resisted the urge to check in along the pack bond, concerned with the change to Roland in the past twenty-four hours. Sam didn't begrudge her beta his happiness, but Natasha's future was still in question. She would hate to see the male hurt, instinct warning her that he might not survive.
 

Putting aside her concerns, Sam let herself enjoy a evening of stories, lots of laughter and even some music.

"Dance with me," Maddie said, pulling Sam to her feet.

"I have a better idea," Sam said, holding out her other hand to her mate. "Join us?"

"You sure?" Nafarius stared up at his mate, his eyes moving from her to Maddie, who nodded.
 

"Oh, yes," Sam said, her eyes shining as Nafarius got to his feet.
 

Leading the way to their room, Sam pressed her hand to the excitement fluttering in her belly and felt it echoed along the mate bond. Turning, she watched Maddie and Nafarius enter the room, both of them so dear to her it made her heart ache.
 

Maddie slowly prowled towards Sam, her body moving with a fluid grace no human had. "My turn," Maddie said, and she would have sworn Maddie licked her lips.

Sam's breath hitched as Maddie reached her, her hands wrapping around Sam's hips and guiding her back towards the bed.
 
Over Maddie's shoulder, Sam caught a glimpse of Nafarius as he leaned his hip against the desk, content for the time being to watch. Sam felt the mattress behind her and sat down, sliding backwards as Maddie kept coming, crawling up onto the bed and covering Sam with her body.
 

Sam stared up into Maddie's face, reaching up to brush back a curtain of blonde hair and pulling her down for a kiss. Slowly and gently, she took the time to explore, reacquainting herself with the female's taste.

Maddie opened up for Sam, her lips parting on a soft sigh as Sam slipped inside. God, but the alpha knew how to kiss, using lips, teeth and her tongue to explore, every touch pulling Maddie down the path to ultimate surrender.

Sam felt Maddie go soft above her, the female lowering her body, and sinking into Sam. Tangling her fingers in her hair, Sam started to sit up, intent on rolling Maddie beneath her.

Maddie eased back, one hand gently pressing Sam back against the mattress. "My turn, remember?"

Sam groaned, her eyes closing as Maddie straddled her hips. She could already feel the wet heat of the female's core, the light scent of desire perfuming the air.
 

Maddie settled herself more firmly against Sam, squeezing her thighs together and hugging Sam's hips. Looking down at her alpha, she felt a ripple of desire at the prospect of all the possible ways she wanted to experience this female.

Lowering her hands to the bed, Maddie bent her head, licking at a small strip of exposed skin between the hem of Sam's t-shirt and her jeans. Beneath her, Sam moaned, her skin rippling as Maddie worked her way across the flat plane of her stomach, stopping along the way to circle Sam's navel, and dipping her tongue inside.

Pushing Sam's shirt out of the way with her nose, Maddie licked her way up the line of Sam's ribs, a small sigh of appreciation escaping when her lace covered breasts appeared.
 

Desire heated Sam's skin, her breasts rising and falling on a shuddering breath. Drawn by the sight, Maddie brushed her mouth back and forth along the underside of one breast, the lace of Sam's bra tickling her lips as she made her way toward the peak.

Sam moaned low in her throat, her body arching as Maddie drew her into her mouth, delicate lace abrading the tender skin of her nipple as it came between her and the wet heat of Maddie's tongue.

Maddie drew hard on the taut peak, suckling Sam deeper into her mouth before releasing her. Lifting her head, Maddie captured Sam's mouth in another kiss.

Sam slid her hands up Maddie's thighs, catching hold of her dress and drawing the soft material over her head. Unlike Sam, Maddie was bare beneath and her sun kissed skin appeared golden in the low light.

A gentle tug had Sam sitting up, obediently lifting her arms as Maddie pulled her shirt off over her head. Sam shivered, little bumps of pleasure rushing across her skin as Maddie leaned forward, her breath tickling Sam's shoulder as she reached around and unclasped Sam's bra.
 

Across the room, Nafarius uncrossed and recrossed his legs at the ankles, his palms positively itching to touch, to taste the two beautiful females undressing each other slowly. Sam's desire burned down the mate bond, her need to take control contrasting deliciously with her desire to let Maddie lead.
 

Sam caught Nafarius' movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she smiled at him, reaching out her hand and inviting him to join them.

Nafarius didn't hesitate. Striding across the room, he tore his shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor and stepping out of his jeans. Crawling up onto the bed, he stretched out beside Sam, her hand resting lightly on his chest.

Maddie leaned forward, once again bracing herself above Sam and capturing her mouth in a kiss. There was nothing soft or gentle about this one, Maddie diving head first into her alpha, tasting with long strokes of her tongue until Sam was moving restlessly beneath her.