Wild Fire (Wilding Pack Wolves 5) - New Adult Paranormal Romance (24 page)

“And what about the other serum?” he asked quietly. “The one that suppresses your wolf? Or… eliminates it.”

She scowled. “That’s something Agent Smith used when he was torturing shifters. The Wolf Hunter, too. I was so mired in my own…
drama…
I don’t think I realized the vast harm something like that could do. If I had…” Her face reddened. “Any normal wolf would have destroyed those serums and the formula for them as soon as she understood what they were.”

“Hey.” His hand went immediately to her cheek. “None of that. You had your reasons. I’m glad you changed your mind—so glad, Zoe, you have no idea—but that doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” She still scowled, but his touch seemed to ease it somewhat. “But with the Wolf Hunter’s lab destroyed—with
him
destroyed—I’m going to do my part. I’m going to tell Grace we should destroy that part of the data. I can do it from here, and when I get back into my lab, I’ll get rid of anything that could be used to make it in the future.”

“That’s great, Zo,” he said with a sigh of relief. “Really great.” This way she would never be able to change her mind—and he was sure she knew that. His girl was wicked smart, and something like that wouldn’t pass her notice.

His girl.

He swallowed and dropped his gaze to the bunched up sheets, still hot from their lovemaking. “So, Zoe, I was thinking…”

She leaned in to sneak a kiss and cut him off. “You were? I was hoping for a little more hot-blooded action from my future mate.”

His head snapped up. “Your… future…
what?”

“Mate? M-A-T-E.” Her grin faded a little. “Oh. You don’t want to—”

“No,”
he said a little too forcefully as it rushed out of him. His grip on her shoulders tightened, and he pulled her in for a fierce and fast kiss. “I
definitely
want to. I’ve wanted to so badly ever since…”

Her smile was back, although not as teasing. Just happy. The way he liked to see it. “Ever since…?”

He slid a hand up to hold her cheek. “Ever since I saw you that first time.”

Her brow scrunched up. “You mean when I was naked and half-burned to death?”

“Yes. Exactly then.” Then he pulled her in and kissed her with everything he had.

Zoe Wilding wanted him for a mate.
It was almost impossible for him to believe. And his wolf was howling for him to make her his
right now.
While he was busy kissing her and figuring out how to broach the idea of just sinking his fangs into her right this second, she wriggled out of his grasp.

“I want you to be my alpha,” she said, eyes bright.

Fuck yes.
But he couldn’t say that. “Right now?” he asked instead.

She didn’t reply, just shifted in front of him, showing him her beautiful snow-white wolf for the first time since the fire. Her gorgeous blue eyes shone as brightly as her fur, then she quickly dropped into the submission pose. Troy had never submitted to anyone or had anyone submit to him—he’d hardly ever been around wolves long enough, and when he was, in the gangs, they weren’t the kind he wanted that bond with. But this… this gift she was giving him… it pulled at him with an irresistible magical force. He shifted and stood tall over her, the alpha pose his wolf instinctively knew how to take with her bowing before him. The magic of her submission washed over him, strengthening him, blowing his love for her up into a force that resonated between them. It was so powerful and good and
right.
Like nothing he’d ever felt.

Rise, my love.
The ritual words made her pop up from her pose and rub her face against his.

Shift
for me,
he thought, and suddenly she was naked in his arms again—exactly what he wanted. And now he was ready for her, his cock standing at attention between them, ready to claim her the way his wolf had been dying to from the beginning.

“Oh my God, Troy,” she gushed. “Can you feel that?”

“Oh yes,” he said. All hesitation was gone. He knew what she wanted—what she
needed
from him—and he wanted to give it
all
to her. “And that’s just the start, baby.” They were up on their knees on the bed. He cupped her bottom and pulled her tight against him. “Turn around and bend over.” He made it a command—something he only just realized he could do as the words came out of his mouth—but the flash of lust in her eyes before she spun around on the bed said his instinct was right.
She wanted him to be her alpha.
And he would do exactly that.

She bent over, now on her hands and knees, her gorgeous bottom spread out before him, beckoning him. Then she peered back over her shoulder at him with a look so damn sexy, he kind of lost himself—he grabbed hold of her hips and thrust inside. She gasped and lurched forward with the strength of his thrust, but his grip kept her from falling.

She was still wet for him from their lovemaking not long ago, but her moans and whimpers as he drove into her again and again—
God,
she was still so damn tight—told him she was more than ready for him.

He gripped her harder and picked up his pace. “You are
mine,”
he grunted out between thrusts. “All mine. Forever mine.”

“Yes,” she gasped but he could barely hear her words over the small cries she was making as he pounded into her. His fangs came out, his wolf thirsting for her, wanting to back up his words with magic. He leaned over her, still thrusting, angling just right to bring them quicker to climax. She was so beautiful, panting and moaning underneath him, so perfect for him in every way. He fisted his hand in her hair, pulling her head to the side, baring her neck for his fangs. He paused, fangs out, ready to plunge into her, ready to claim her with his magic like he was with her cock.

“Say you want me,” he panted over her.

“I want you!” she cried out. “For God’s sake, take me, Troy!”

Her words tipped him over the edge. He sunk his fangs into her as he came, spilling his seed inside her while flushing his magic into her body. It was a complete and perfect claiming for the woman he would love and protect all the days of his life, and the pleasure that flushed through him—both the physical ecstasy and the magical bonding that just grew and grew—was like a hurricane sweeping through him. Their groans filled the room with the sounds of pleasure. When his magic had fully seeped into her, his fangs withdrew. Before he could even pull back, he saw the tiny pin-prick holes in her skin heal themselves. In awe, he pulled out of her body. Limp with pleasure and happiness, he collapsed next to her on the bed, pulling her down to nestle against him. Their breathing was ragged and full of sighs—and the magic, as it solidified the bond between them, amped him up like he was flying high on some kind of drug. He could feel the raw power that lay inside her, that inner witch that had vanquished a terrible man, and yet protected her and the ones she loved.

She was
his.

He could hardly believe it was true, but his wolf sang with the rightness of it.

“Oh my God, Troy,” she breathed. “This is what mating is like? And I thought the sex was good.
Jesus.”

Troy chuckled and ran a hand through her hair. Her breathing slowly settled while he idly toyed with the relatively short, dark strands. He was drunk on the idea that he would always have her like this, in his arms, safe and whole and beautiful. But he still could hardly believe it. They’d gone from zero to sixty, from doubting to mated, in no time at all—and yet he felt like he’d been waiting his entire life for this moment. For
her.

And now he was home.

He’d never felt so completely in the right place at the right time with the right person in his life.

“You’re an incredible woman, Zoe Wilding,” he whispered as she snuggled into him. “How did I get so lucky as to claim you for my own?”

She turned in his arms to peer up at him. He’d never seen her face filled with such glowing happiness. “Well, you did save my life. I kind of owed you for that.”

“Owed me?”
He put on a show of mock outrage, then he rolled her over on her back. “I think you should pay for your insolence.”

Her eyes lit up even more if that was possible. “Oh, please make me pay.
Please.”
Then the humor faded a little. “Although, I have to warn you. My entire body is on fire with your magic. It’s like… like it’s combining with the magic of my wolf. I don’t know quite how to describe it, but I’ve never felt something so incredibly… good. Powerful, but in a
good
way.”

He grinned wide and playfully nipped at her breasts, with their rock-hard nipples. Her body was completely flushed as the magic—
his magic
—filled her system. “Well, then, I’ll just have to work extra hard to make the next orgasm even more spectacular.”

Her eyes went a little wide. “I’m not sure I’ll survive it.”

He lavished small kisses along her breasts. The sparks of magic that always accompanied their touches sizzled between his lips and her soft skin. “That’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

She smiled, then she grabbed his cheeks and pulled him up for a kiss on the lips. He tucked her in close, touching and holding and cherishing every magical spark binding them together.

He hoped that no one expected them for breakfast any time soon.

Zoe had never been to an election party before.

There were red, white, and blue balloons and streamers, cookies and punch, and nowhere near enough room for the hundreds and hundreds of people who showed up to celebrate Grace Krepky’s election as the first openly-shifter member of the House of Representatives. Seattle was making history twice over, with the first openly-shifter mayor as well.

Zoe couldn’t be more proud. Or happy.

Troy, her new mate, caught her eye for a moment, pausing in his carousing with the other wolves of the Riverwise pack to send her a secret smile. They’d barely left the estate in the last week, lost in their love and their lovemaking, christening every part of the estate they could sneak into. Eventually, they would have to come down from the post-mating haze and figure out real-life things like where to live and when to return to work, but for now, the entire estate seemed on holiday with the Wolf Hunter destroyed and the election results sweeping in… and more than a few matings occurring somewhere in the mix.

Daniel and Skylar were holding court with a group of witches who were keeping to one side of the small hall that Grace had rented for the celebration. When they had first arrived, there had been some unease, but word had quickly spread about how Skylar had trained the team of white wolves and how they had defeated the Wolf Hunter with her help. It didn’t hurt that Daniel was obviously madly in love with her and that they had publicly announced their marriage at the beginning of the celebration—Zoe suspected they were mated already, but their announcement just confirmed her suspicions. Given that Jaxson’s mate, Olivia, was half witch, and she had been fully accepted by the Riverwise wolves, it seemed that the traditional tensions between wolves and witches were starting to break down. Which made Zoe happy… given she was a little bit of both.

She sipped her punch and reveled in the joy of the night, content to just watch as the wolves and witches mixed. But then Grace, who was trapped in a throng of admirers nearby, seemed to be trying to capture her eye. Zoe squinted, trying to read Grace’s secret body language signals, but she was getting nowhere. Setting her drink down on a nearby table littered with cups and used napkins and cookie crumbs, Zoe worked her way through the crowd, trying to figure out what was up.

When she got close, Grace broke away from the throng, excusing herself with the need to use the restroom. The mixture of wolves and humans—fans and reporters—parted for her to pass, and Grace grabbed Zoe’s arm along the way, towing her toward the far wall where the restrooms lay with a line of people who had already drunk too much punch.

“What’s up?” Zoe asked, having to raise her voice to be heard over the raucous celebration.

“God, I just needed a break.” Grace wiped her brow as if she was dripping sweat or something, but she was perfectly put together, as usual, this time in a trim, black suit that set off her pretty blonde hair. Zoe had done her best to dress up for the occasion, but her simple skirt and blouse just couldn’t compete. Not that she was trying to—she was glad Troy seemed to like her best sans clothes, which really worked for her in a major way.

“Would you look at those two?” Grace said just loud enough for Zoe to hear. She was still towing Zoe toward the bathrooms, but she gestured to Mama River and the mayor, huddled together behind the snack table, his head bent to whisper something in her ear, her eyes lit up with mischief. The mayor—her grandfather and Grace’s father—had been spending a lot of time at the River family estate. He and Mama River were constantly touching—holding hands or arms around each other, or kissing, as they were right now, as the mayor planted one on Mama River’s cheek.

“Hey!” Grace shouted at them. “Get a room!”

Mama River ducked her head like she was embarrassed, but then the mayor swept her into his arms and dramatically bent Mama River back with a full-press kiss on the lips. They garnered a round of hoots and whistles from the wolves around them, and Zoe had to laugh out loud. She supposed that counted as another wolf-witch pairing in the blossoming.