Authors: Kimberly Hunter
Then, there were the dreams. She was never sure if they were from the fever, trauma induced, or both, but they felt so real, as if she was a part of them. And they were so clear, more like a movie than a dream.
***
She was in a forest, every sense alive with the myriad smells around her. She could see so clearly that even the veins of the leaves were clear. But her sense of height seemed off somehow. She felt lower to the ground than she should have been, though it was not upsetting. Then she smelled something on the wind, something she’d never smelled before. As she waited to identify it, a wolf stepped out from behind a tree. He was light blond in color. Did wolves come in blond? His eyes were a brilliant blue, and he was easily the size of a Great Dane. He wagged his tail when he saw her, as though welcoming a friend.
Her heart should have been beating frantically in fear; instead, it beat in joy. She was happy to see him, like she’d found someone she lost. Then the scene changed, and she was running, surrounded by a pack of wolves in every imaginable color: black and blond, red and brown, white and gray, and all colors in between. But she wasn’t scared. She was free, like her heart and soul flying to the heavens with joy and peace. She’d never felt such exhilaration and contentment before. She wanted to run with the Pack forever. She could tell the others felt the same, each of them rubbing and nuzzling her without breaking stride.
When they finally slowed to take a break, she was breathless and parched. She sauntered over to a nearby stream to get a quick drink. The big blond male drew near. He looked happy to see her, but now it was something more. She saw it in his light eyes. Lust, want, need. And what was even stranger was her response. She wanted him too—on a level that was nearly frightening.
Suddenly, a white mist enveloped him, the mist’s glow blinding. Then just as quickly, the mist was gone, and a man stood where the wolf once was. He was extremely tall with white-blond hair past his shoulders, high cheekbones, and a square jaw. He was also nude, his incredible body every woman’s fantasy from a wide muscled chest and ripped abs, to a trim waist and granite thighs. And his cock—just the thought of what that impressive appendage could do made Sasha wetter than she could ever recall being.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Sasha.” At the sound of his deep voice, her body resonated with need.
But she didn’t understand. How could that gorgeous man have been waiting for her? She was nobody. Hell, she wasn’t even in the same league.
He smiled, his light eyes twinkling. “You were always such a doubtful creature.” Then he closed the distance between them until he was able to reach down and touch her head. “And a very sensual one as well.”
She looked up at him, shaking her head.
“Still doubtful, I see.” He chuckled, holding his hand out to her. “Come. The night is ours, and I have been too long without you.”
At first, Sasha wasn’t sure she should. This man was a stranger, no matter that she felt she knew him. Then there was the large matter of having just watched him change from a wolf to a man. It was beautiful, but it should have had her running and screaming in the opposite direction, and she hadn’t. Instead, she only watched, transfixed by the beauty of it, by the beauty of him.
“All will be well, love. Trust me.”
She did trust him, knowing it was a dream, yet feeling the reality of it. Without thought, she placed her hand in his— not a paw like she feared.
He grasped her hand, pulling her against his warm body, embracing her. He sighed and leaned down to nuzzle behind her ear. “So good to have you in my arms again.”
Sasha’s brow scrunched in confusion. “What…?”
“Shh.” He placed a finger on her lips. “No words, please. Just let me love you. It’s been so long.” His fingers slid over her cheek and down her throat to her collarbone, then back to her throat.
Sasha closed her eyes at the wonderful feel of his touch. When she opened them, she found his lips only a hairbreadth from hers, his eyes entreating.
“Please.”
She looked into his light eyes; saw the need reflected there—a need that oddly enough mirrored her own. Then she smiled at him and nodded her consent. Before she could blink, his lips devoured hers, his tongue thrusting inside to plunder her mouth.
Sasha couldn’t help the moan that escaped. Nor could she help the fire he started low in her middle as his lips left her mouth to follow a trail down her throat to her collarbone. That must not have been enough for him, because he picked her up and carried her to a small clearing where a bed of soft grass and flowers awaited them. There he gently lowered her, following her down and covering her body with his, her hips cradling him snugly, his hot erection fitting against her wet folds.
He looked into her eyes; his hand caressed her cheek
.
He was so beautiful; he nearly took
her breath away.
She reached up to touch him to make sure he was real.
He smiled at her. “You are the beautiful one, Sasha. You always have been. Let me show you.” Leaning down, he took her lips again, this time with such gentleness her eyes teared up.
When he was finally satisfied with her lips, he broke away and trailed kisses over her chin and neck, down her chest to the tops of her breasts. There he stopped to admire the bounty before him.
Sasha squirmed, thrusting her breasts up, burning with need for his touch.
He sensed her need in the sweet-musk scent of her arousal. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking her scent into his lungs.
“So sweet,” he growled, palming a breast, using his thumb and forefinger to pinch the nipple.
Sasha whimpered, pleasure zinging straight to her center. She felt the juices leaking from her core, smelled the scent of it as it blended with his. It made her ache for him even more.
He leaned over her breast, his breath hot on her nipple. Sasha stiffened in anticipation. She didn’t have to wait long before his tongue swiped over it, eliciting another moan from her. When he finally took the swollen tip into his mouth and suckled, Sasha arched her back, her arms going around him to bring him closer.
His muscles bunched under her hands as he moved from one swollen bud to the other. She felt his mouth and lips as he suckled, the sharp sting of his teeth as he bit down, then his tongue as he soothed the bite. His hands smoothed down her body, kneading her flesh, caressing it. His rock-hard cock poked into her wet folds, so near her core that she wanted to weep.
She moved her hips, bringing his cock closer, the head of it poised at her entrance. He stiffened in response, stopped the assault on her senses.
He looked down at her, his handsome face tight with restraint, his eyes blazing.
“Please,” she moaned, wanting nothing more than for him to take her, to bring her to screaming release.
His lips found hers again in a searing kiss, pushing his throbbing cock ever closer.
“I want to taste you, to bring you release in my mouth, but I can’t wait. I can’t wait any longer.” Then he plunged into her welcoming heat.
Sasha moaned as he moved in and out of her. His hips maintained a steady rhythm while one hand stayed anchored at her side and the other roamed her body. His fingers left a trail of fire as they skimmed her breasts, pinched a nipple, and then moved over her stomach and lower, finally resting on her mound, one long finger lightly tapping on her swollen clit.
“Oh, God,” she groaned, throwing her head back in pure pleasure.
“So beautiful.” His finger continued its assault, his hips keeping a steady in and out motion.
Sasha wasn’t sure how much more she could stand. She was trembling, on the verge of orgasm, her body covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
“Please,” she whimpered, knowing all she needed was a slight push to send her over the edge.
He gave her that push and more. Removing his fingers, he wrapped her legs around his waist and slammed into her, his tight control now gone.
Sasha climaxed, screaming her release and shattering into a million pieces. Dimly, she heard her lover’s roar as he found his own release.
She must have blacked out, for when she opened her eyes, she found herself held in strong arms, the scent of their lovemaking perfuming the air. She looked at her lover’s handsome face, a small smile curving his lips even in slumber. She smiled at the sight and then stood, the nearby stream calling her name. After her earlier run, then incredible sex, she was parched.
She padded down to the water’s edge, about to take a drink when something made her look back. Sasha gasped in shock. Instead of seeing her lover lying there, she saw the blond wolf. She looked around, trying to find the man as she caught her reflection in the water. Only she didn’t see herself, but a wolf with reddish-brown fur and her eyes—eyes that glowed green with a ring of blue flame. She quickly backed up, tripping over her paws. That was when she tried to scream, only it didn’t come out that way. A howl escaped—a mournful howl.
***
Looking over the blood tests one last time, Flynn noticed that they were finally normal. Well, normal considering what she now was and how close she had come to dying. He was still surprised that she didn’t die. By all rights, she should have. An attack from one of their oldest Pack members was a guaranteed death sentence. But the real surprise happened once she stabilized. She was his True Mate. What were the odds? Hell, he was still trying to wrap his mind around it.
Out of all the Mated couples in the Pack, only eight were True Mates. Very few ever experienced it. Now here he was, True Mated to a human turned by a Pack Elder. Their race was a well-kept secret from humans for many reasons. Now they had to tell this woman what she now was. Tell her that what she thought a horror movie monster was, in fact, very real.
He reached into the drawer of the desk he was sitting behind and pulled out her clutch purse. Gabe had the forethought to grab it, thank God, or they would never have learned who she was until she awoke. He then pulled out her driver’s license. Sasha Edwards was her name. A beautiful name for a very beautiful woman. Just gazing at her features was enough to make him hard as a rock. Unfortunately, keeping a hard-on was going to be his lot for the foreseeable future. And after he explained everything, Flynn felt sure that any physical relations he’d had in mind would not be happening.
Putting the license back with a deep sigh, he laid his head back on the chair. How the hell was he going to explain about her new nature and the fact that she now had a True Mate to boot?
That thought was put on hold when a knock sounded at the office door.
“Come.”
His twin brother and Pack Alpha, Roan, strolled in, taking a seat in front of the desk.
“Any change?”
“No.” Flynn shook his head. “She’s still in the coma.”
Roan nodded. “How are you doing?”
Flynn had to chuckle at that. “At this moment, like my skin is crawling and my dick is about to explode.”
“Sorry about your dick, but you know you can’t be separated from her that long,” he admonished.
“It’s only been an hour or so. The feelings haven’t gotten that bad, and I know when I should get back to her.”
“Did Garret tell you anything else?”
“Only that if we stayed separated for an extended length of time, I’ll feel a lot more than my skin crawling. The permanent hard-on is a bonus.” He snorted, not feeling very lucky about that. And jacking off didn’t help. It made it worse, like his body knew it wasn’t getting what it needed and from the right source.
He let out a deep sigh, more than thoughts of his True Mate tumbling around in his brain. So far, he had kept his time away from Sasha minimal, but he still had a practice to run. Thank God his partners understood. They were taking up his slack. Not to mention the task of l informing his mother her father had been put down because the voices in his head told him to attack a human. She took it better than he thought she would, all of them knowing that he would need to be put down eventually. Still, it was hard. Losing a family member like that was bad enough, but the circumstance just made it worse. “You’re still in shock, aren’t you?”
Flynn gave his brother a penetrating look, then let out another sigh and stood, pacing the room.
“What do you think? I mean, I’ve searched my whole life for a Mate. Now, she just happens to fall in my lap. And not just my Mate, but my True Mate. I…I…” He took a deep breath and let it out slow. “I’m scared, Roan. Scared that she won’t be able to handle all this.”
Roan got up and came to him, putting both hands on Flynn’s shoulders. “She has survived the bite of an Elder, a feat no female has ever managed to accomplish. And from the conversations both of us have had with Gabe, she is strong willed. Don’t borrow trouble, my brother.”
“I know, I know.” He smiled wanly and returned to his seat. “It’s not like I’m trying to borrow trouble or be negative, but I’ve read all the accounts, Roan. Humans just can’t handle what they don’t understand. And while I’ve cornered Gabe at every opportunity to learn more about my True Mate, her strong will and even stronger personality won’t help if she doesn’t accept her new life or me. And the fact it was our grandfather that attacked her because of his delusions certainly won’t help either.”
Roan leveled a look at him. “Well, whether she accepts or not, the deed has been done. She cannot be allowed to return to her old life, nor will she be able to live apart from you. Your bond prevents that from being even a possibility. So all we’re left with is making her transition as easily as possible and giving her time to adjust. As for Grandfather, we’ll explain and hope she understands.” He held up a hand when Flynn would have spoken. “I’m more than aware of your fears, brother. Were I in your shoes, I would have them as well. Relying on Gabe’s interpretation of his time with her isn’t exactly the best way to approach her either. But guessing what her reaction will be doesn’t solve anything. Until she wakes from the coma, we won’t really know anything.”
Thinking about it, Flynn rubbed a hand over his face. His brother was right, of course. Guessing that she would react negatively wasn’t going to help matters. For all any of them knew, she could embrace her new life and live happily. It was against the odds, but it could happen.
“Sorry, I know that all this is just conjecture until she wakes, but I can’t help but worry.”
Roan nodded. “Understandable, and taking such long breaks from her side probably hasn’t helped either.”
Flynn chuckled. “Yeah, that too.” He shook his head ruefully. “Look at me—I’m your Beta, and I’m acting like some weak pup.”
“We both know you have never been weak, even when you were a pup.” He grinned. “You’re just worried is all, and it’s natural. Hell, I’d be concerned if you weren’t. Don’t be so hard on yourself. This kind of situation would make anyone act out of character.”
He was right. Again. The ass.
“You’re welcome.” He smirked.
Shaking his head with laughter, Flynn was about to tell him where he could go when he heard the scream. Like a flash, he felt Sasha’s fear. He was out of his seat and up the stairs before he could think. His Mate needed him.