An Undying Love (11 page)

Her mind twisted
her worries into unwanted dreams. Anya’s sleepy mind tricked her into feeling a
presence, and it felt as if someone had gotten into her bed. She tried to move
away from the warm body that suddenly pressed her down into the mattress. Fear
paralyzed her in her dream, making it impossible to wake herself as she heard Craig’s
voice rumble next to her ear, “You smell good.”

 The room was
still light enough she could barely make him out. She saw Dante standing nearby.
He looked down at them, his eyes full of rage. He slowly faded into the dark
recess of her dream. Anya had a sense of losing him forever, and it felt as if
she died at that moment. Craig scowled, and she wanted to cry.

“You’re mine,
Anya. No one else’s.” He growled.

“Get off me!” She
snarled as she pushed against his chest, not willing to give in.

“Anya, you need
to relax.” He tried to push her night dress up.

She jerked it
back down with one hand as she slapped him in the face with the other. He
chuckled darkly. It echoed in her mind and all through the room. The dream
twisted into dark horror, one in which Craig laid claim to her. She’d struggled
and fought, but he’d dominated her into being submissive. Her wolf had laid still
for him to have her, creating a union between them that she did not want.

Anya bolted
awake, covered in sweat and trembling all over. She gasped for air as her
nightmare had left her mortified. The sun shone through the window, and she
looked around the room in a near panic. She was in the one at Craig’s. She
tossed the covers off herself to make sure it had only been a nightmare. Her
legs were still clad in her pajama bottoms and she was still wearing her
nightshirt.

It really had
been just a bad dream, but it was one that would come true. Craig would expect
her to let him have her, after all it was what mates did. She didn’t want that,
didn’t want Craig, and now she really wished it was Friday. Thoughts of running
away drifted into her mind as she dressed. But where would she go? Back to
Temple Island? That could start a war. She had no friends outside her own pack
mates, no money either.

 Anya felt
trapped, knowing all too well if Dante didn’t show up next Friday she would be
fated to mate Craig. It could happen before then too. He had the right as Mitch
told her that he saw them as already mated. With shaky hands, she rose from the
bed, her mind a storm of thoughts and worries. The hopelessness set in and it
gnawed at her all day.

Chapter Eleven

Mitch sat at the
kitchen table, looking over an old photo album. The images of his siblings and
him had brought back such fond memories of their youth. He yearned for those
days again. Becoming the alpha when he’d turned eighteen had taken away much of
his carefree life. The responsibility to care for his pack was immense, but it
was his to bear, and he accepted that. He also accepted his role as Anya and
Alex’s guardian.

Anya would be
okay now, he thought. A mate would tame the wild, adventurous side she had, and
hopefully they would soon start having children. She would learn to love Craig,
learn her role as his mate, and come to realize it was the way it should be.
Right now she was pissed at him, but she would get over it once she allowed
Craig to lay claim to her. That might take many months. He knew how stubborn
his sister was, but in the long run, he hoped it was for the best.

Mitch placed the
old albums back into the trunk and prayed to god he’d made the right decision
in Craig. He’d known him for many years, but the man had never had a mate. He
was decent, dependable and hardworking, and the mating would bring both their
packs closer. Anya was much younger than Craig, and Mitch figured it was a good
thing, a more mature responsible male to help guide his sister. On the other
hand, what if he were wrong? Self-doubt was not something he had often, but
this was his baby sister.

Mitch forced his
mind to think more as the alpha and less as the worried big brother. He again
realized it had to be done. She needed to settle down, and so far no other male
had met her requirements. It’d been a battle between them for years. Now he’d
taken control and put his foot down. Again he told himself this was the best
thing for her. But what if he were wrong?

* * * *

Anya sat on the
edge of the fountain and was nervous. All she could do was think of Dante, and
how she’d snuck off without anyone knowing. The sneaking part had been very
easy. She simply had waited until Craig was asleep and crept out her window.
The enormous maple tree afforded her an escape route. One of its large branches
was within easy reach, and after she’d made it into the tree, it was only a
simple matter of climbing down.

Now as she sat there
in the middle of the night all alone, she wondered if he’d even gotten the
letter. What if he didn’t want her or feel the same way? Her inner doubts crept
into her mind. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions that he’d felt the same. A
soft cracking of a branch off in the woods caused her to snap her attention to the
there and now.

She scanned the
area, but saw nothing. Another sound to her right had her twisting her head
quickly in that direction. A large form made its way toward her, and the person
was not alone. The crunching of dried leaves from behind her made her skin
goose bump, and she wheeled around in time to see several men walking closer to
her. They were coming from the darker shadowed areas.

It didn’t take
her long to realize she was surrounded. All of their eyes glinted in the night.
Werewolves, and she was not sure if she should run or not.

“Anya?” the
largest shadowy figure asked.

“Dante, I thought…”
Her words caught in her throat. What had she done? He’d brought a hunting pack
with him.

“It’s okay. They’re
here for my protection,” Dante said as he stepped out of the darkness and into
the dimly lit area a few yards from the fountain.

He moved toward
her, and she suddenly felt her cheeks warm as she blushed. Anya was glad that
in the dim lighting he wouldn’t see that.

“This is yours.”
He stepped directly in front of her. He held her braid.

“I gave it back
to you,” she whispered. The thought that he didn’t want her as his mate felt
crushing.

“I will only
accept it if you answer my question.”

After standing,
she moved to him. Anya reached out and closed his hand around her braid.

“I gave it back
to you, it’s yours.” His fingers caressed her cheek and then he tilted her face
up to his at the same time as he bent down and kissed her. Again, her heart
felt as if it may explode within her chest.

He drew his lips
away and smiled. “Give us some privacy. I’ll meet you at the dock,” Dante
ordered his hunting party. She heard their soft retreat and felt a bit more at
ease.

“Do you want to
go for a little walk? Somewhere not so open?” he asked.

“All right. There’s
a gazebo not far from here. We could go sit there and talk.”

The warmth of
his hand slipping into hers was so nice. As they strolled toward the covered
sitting area, she wondered why he thought he needed protection. Had he heard
about Craig? Had he and Mitch crossed paths again? She hoped not. The feud was
bad enough as it was, it didn’t need to get any worse.

“Dante, why did
you bring a hunting party?” she asked just before they got to the gazebo.

“In case it wasn’t
you who sent the letter.”

“Who did you
think sent it?”

“I honestly hoped
it was you, but I also couldn’t take the chance your brother had. He might be
looking to get revenge on me for keeping you.”

“I need to tell
you something. Mitch has made arrangements for me to be mated.” A snarl formed
on his lips.

“To who?” he
demanded with a gravely tone.

“Craig, the alpha
to the Misty Creek pack.”

Dante reached
out and brushed a few stray hairs from her face. She shivered at the softness
in his touch. He leaned closer and sniffed her.

“I don’t smell
him,” he said. “You haven’t mated with him.”

“No, and I don’t
want to be. But in a week I’ll have to.”

“Who do you
want?” he asked as his hand traced over her cheek and down her neck until it
skirted the edge of her blouse.

The words froze upon
her lips. She suddenly was too shy to say anything.

“I want you,
Anya. Tell me you want me as well.”

“Yes, Dante, I
want you,” she murmured. “Only you.”

She was nervous
now, and as he kissed her, she hoped he wouldn’t know she’d never done this
before. Dante pulled his lips from hers and sighed as he undid the buttons on
her shirt.

*

Anya stared at
him, her bright eyes looking a little timid as he slipped her shirt from her
shoulders and let it fall onto the ground at her feet. She was going into heat.
Her rich aroma was even more tantalizing now. Maybe because he knew this time
it really was him she wanted.

“I want to make
love to you.” He unclasped her bra. After removing it, he dropped it by her
shirt. Then he traced the outline of her breasts with his fingertips.

Anya’s nipples
hardened at his touch. So responsive, he thought. He explored her body with one
hand as his other encircled her waist. He trembled. Her skin felt like satin
against his rough hands. Too many years had gone by since he’d done this. His
need had his erection pressing tightly against his jeans. She moaned deeply
when he slipped a hand into the front of her pants. His found her already wet
with need, and it made the bulge in his pants twitch in anticipation of feeling
her warm, wet body.

Dante wanted
her, needed her, and as he slid his fingers harder over her clit, she gasped at
his touch. He drew her closer and kissed her again, their tongues seeking each
other. Playing and rolling around, exploring each other’s mouths, he loved the
taste of her. He pulled free from the kiss, both of them were panting, and his
heart raced.

“Take your pants
off.”

Anya wriggled
out of her jeans while still in his arms, and the only thing keeping her from
being completely naked was her panties. He moved his hand back down to her
pelvis and stroked over the thin material. She groaned and flexed her hips into
his palm. Dante pushed her panties to the side to feel her naked flesh and
manoeuvred a finger into her. He watched her face as it reflected her body’s desires
as she squirmed on his finger, impaling her. He wanted to taste her, and slid
to his knees before her.

With a hurried tug,
he pulled her panties down far enough for her to step out of them, and she
stood there completely naked before him. As his tongue snaked out to tease the
small hard bud of her clit she squealed and jumped back.

“What’s wrong?”
he asked.

“Nothing…it…well,
it tickled,” she whispered, and he nearly growled as he pulled her closer.

“Oh, it won’t
tickle for long, my sweet,” he said as he decided to be rough and his tongue
drove into her without hesitation.

Her cry
resounded through the field as her hips pushed toward his mouth. “Oh, my god!”
she said, and he fucked her harder with his tongue.

Her body slightly
trembled as he used his tongue to assault her clit and his finger to thrust up
inside her. Her mews became raspy as her body shuddered, the tightness of her made
him want to feel her wrapped around him as he took her. As a flood of wetness washed
over his finger, he tasted her again.

She was
delectable, creamy and so ready for him, causing his own need to nearly
overwhelm him. He easily pulled her down to the ground. He wanted her now. He freed
his erection from its prison. Dante was not patient enough to take the time to remove
his pants or shirt as he manoeuvred her legs apart and descended on top of her.
Their lips met as he pressed against her, and as she opened to him, she tensed.

“Wait.” Anya
gasped against his mouth as she pushed against him with her hands.

Dante couldn’t
wait, his own desire all consuming. He needed her now. With brute force, he
slammed himself forward and nearly came as her body enveloped him in a
constrictive wet glove. Never had anyone felt so damn tight and wet. As she
began to cry, he knew why. He froze, unable to move at the realization of what
he’d just done.

*

The kiss had
been all consuming, pulling on her very soul, binding her to him. They were
one, a mated pair. But as they joined, it burned. The heated pain that flooded
her was not unwelcome, but she’d had no idea it would hurt that much. She cried
out with the feeling of him invading her, and Dante froze on top of her. He pulled
his mouth from hers. He stared at her wide-eyed.

“Why didn’t you
tell me,” he demanded, sounding shocked.

“I…well…”Her
words lost to her in her embarrassment. Hot tears rolled from her eyes.

“Anya, did I
hurt you?” he asked a little gentler.

“A little.”

“I’m sorry.” He
kissed her tears from her eyes.

“It’s okay. I wanted
this with you.”

“I didn’t want
to hurt you,” he whispered as he moved, pulling free of their union, then
slowly moving back again, and it hurt once more.

“Ow,” she whimpered,
and he stopped moving.

He just lay on
top of her, his body trembling lightly as he filled her entirely. The feeling
was strange. It burned and stung more than she’d thought it would. Dante kissed
her tenderly as one hand inched over her breast and slowly pinched and pulled
on her nipple as she became accustomed to his body having penetrated hers.
Little by little, he pulled his hips back and then moved them ahead again. It
still hurt, but not as much as it had a few moments ago. Slowly, he continued
his retreating out of her and then returned to fill her again. Each movement
easing the pain and becoming increasingly pleasurable until the warmth in her
belly built once more as he worked her toward another climax.

The spasms that
rolled over her caused her body to clamp down on the thick shaft inside her. It
made her feel as if she were on fire, and making her feel overly full in the
strangest way.

 “I’m going to
move faster, okay?” he asked, and she nodded. When his rhythm sped up, it again
burned, but this time in a more delightful way.

Her body was
hot, slick and sweaty as she panted. The need to feel him had her pushing her
hips to his as he increased the strength of his thrusting movements, and she
gasped and twitched under him. Her world erupted as the waves of her climax
flowed over her, consuming her body in their delectable flames. Each hard
thrust was nearly bruising as waves of heat washed over her. She shuddered, her
legs virtually flailing as she cried out in bliss of the climax stealing over
her body.

“Oh god, Anya,”
he moaned out in a breathless pant.

His lips sealed
over hers as he pushed deeply into her and stopped moving, groaning loudly into
her mouth. The heated shaft twitched inside her. He lay on top of her, his
breathing rapid and his flesh slick in sweat. She was sore, and as he pulled
free of her, it stung again.

Dante rolled off
her, pulling her into his arms. He stroked her hair as he kissed her gently. The
evening air was chilly on her damp flesh, and she shivered, but she had no
desire to get dressed. She just wanted to stay like that forever with him. As
she pulled free of him, he smiled.