The Omega's Heart (Wilde Creek Four) (14 page)

“Give me a quick overview of what happened,
and then you can get back home.”

He told them what he knew, although he
admitted that Honey had more knowledge than he did since he was
knocked out and then drugged, not coming awake until they arrived.
The simple explanation was that the man she’d called father had
tried to trade her to another alpha in exchange for a young female
for himself. He was a twisted fuck, and Honey was very lucky that
he’d never turned his attentions to her, considering she wasn’t his
blood relation.

“Did you do all this?” Acksel gestured to the
bodies.

Jeremiah nodded. “One male escaped – Shred,
the beta from Honey’s former pack. He ran as soon as the others
from his pack advanced on me after I threw her dad at the van.”

Jeremiah wished he’d been able to kill
everyone who had come for her, but the alpha was dead and Shred was
most likely on his way back to Wyling River to take over.

Acksel said, “We’ll continue to be vigilant
to ensure that he doesn’t come back for you two.”

“He’d be an idiot with a death wish if he
did,” Dade said, smiling.

“True.” Acksel said. “You know, I don’t know
a whole lot of males who could take on so many opponents at once,
but you did. You protected your mate in her time of need, and
that’s the most important thing a wolf can do for his mate. Do you
think you can shift into that big fucker you were when we arrived
again? The wolfman?”

Jeremiah’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Because if you can, then that tells me that
you’re a true shifter, and things can be different for you in the
pack.”

Elation rose inside him. He reached for his
wolf in his mind and his body swiftly morphed again.

“Damn, that’s scary as hell,” Dade said,
grinning.

The shift flowed away from him just as
quickly, which made Acksel whistle in appreciation. “A fully
shifted wolf can’t switch forms so quickly, so you have an
advantage. I need to talk to the elders, but I see good things for
you in the future, Jeremiah. For now, though, go take your mate
home.”

“Isn’t my home destroyed?”

“Oh shit, right. Yes, it’s pretty bad. Brynn
is the one that noticed your house was on fire. The fire department
put it out. There may be some things that are salvageable, but the
house is toast. The protectors who were assigned to watch your home
were unconscious and tied up in the woods. Judging from what you
told us, they’re lucky to be alive.”

He nodded, grateful that his fellow packmates
were okay.

“You and Honey can stay in the apartment in
the garage until you find a place to rent in town,” Ren said. “I’ll
call Kammie and ask her to stock the fridge and make sure there are
fresh linens for you.”

“Thank you,” Jeremiah said.

Ren, who had always looked down on Jeremiah
for his lack of shifting abilities, said, “We’re pack, and pack
sticks together.”

“Go take your mate home. That’s an order,”
Acksel said, clapping Jeremiah on the back and giving him a gentle
nudge toward the SUV, where Honey and Zander were waiting.

Zander stood outside the SUV and Honey sat in
the backseat. “You ready?”

“Thanks, Zander.”

As soon as Jeremiah sat down in the backseat
and pulled the door shut, Honey crawled into his lap. Jeremiah
grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her. Zander backed the SUV
away from the others and swung out onto a dirt road.

“Where will we go?” Honey asked.

“Ren’s letting us stay in the garage
apartment. There are some houses to rent in town; we can check them
out. How does that sound?”

“As long as we’re together, it’ll always be
home for me.”

He hugged her a little closer. “Me, too.”

Chapter 11

Honey looked around the apartment and smiled.
Kammie had certainly made the place sparkle. A bowl of fruit sat in
the center of the kitchen counter, and the scent of lemon cleanser
permeated the air.

“I’m sorry about your house.” She yawned.
Even though she’d slept for several hours, exhaustion still pulled
at her. She hadn’t slept well since she’d left Wyling River.

“It’s just a house,” he answered stiffly.

She turned from her inspection of the
pull-out couch, which was made up neatly with pillows and a thick
blanket, and looked at him. He stood near the door, his body tense
and his face filled with worry.

“What’s wrong?”

His eyes met hers, and she could see that he
was upset. “I’m sorry.”

Blinking in confusion, she said, “About
what?”

“I’ve never killed anyone before. I don’t
want you to be afraid of me, but you saw what I did. What I
became.”

“Why do you think I’m afraid? Because you
saved both our lives? Because you can shift into a kickass-looking
wolf?”

He looked surprised, but still not
convinced.

She could probably tell him until she was
blue in the face that she wasn’t afraid of him, but physical proof
would go further.

Walking toward the bathroom, she smiled as
she noticed two towels folded neatly on top of the toilet. She
turned on the shower and looked out of the bathroom to see Jeremiah
still standing immobile near the door. Tugging the knot in her
shirt apart, she shrugged out of it, and dropped the scraps into
the trashcan. The sweats were filthy and torn in places. She pushed
them to the floor and stepped out of them, too.

“Jer,” she said.

He still hadn’t moved, but his body had
tensed further.

“Jer? Come here,” she said, holding her arms
out. He hesitated for long enough that she wondered if he would
actually come to her, but he did. Slowly. Each step brought him
closer and ratcheted up her desire. Her mate was sexy, and he was a
strong male in every sense of the word. He hadn’t just protected
her, he’d killed for her. The odds had been stacked against him,
but he’d prevailed.

He stopped in the doorway, staring down at
her. He still wore his tattered pants, but she could see the
outline of his hard cock and it made her stomach clench in
anticipation.

“How’d I get so lucky?” she asked.

He didn’t answer, and when she stopped
staring at his waist and looked into his eyes, she saw fear and
wariness. Grabbing the waistband of his pants, she tugged until he
stepped into the bathroom. The water had heated enough that steam
was filling up the room.

“I’m not afraid of you, Jeremiah. Not now,
not ever. You saved my life
and
yours tonight.”

He still seemed to be holding back.

“What is it? What’s troubling you?”

His mouth opened and a soft sigh escaped his
lips. He closed his eyes and his head tipped back. “I know what I
shifted into, Honey. I was a freak of nature before, but now I’m an
actual freak. A monster. How long until the pack decides that I’m
too strange to stay? They could demand that Acksel banish me.”

His head dropped down and she saw pain in his
eyes.

She closed the distance between them and
wrapped her arms around his waist. He stiffened for only a moment,
and then melted against her.

“I could care less about what your pack
thinks of your shifting abilities, because you’re mine. I don’t
think Acksel will kick us out, but if he does, so the fuck what? If
we have to leave, we will, but together.” She rested her cheek on
his chest and rubbed her hands up and down his back. She felt him
slowly relax. After a while, he growled softly.

“You’re naked.”

She giggled. “You’re not.”

She moved away, pushed the shower curtain
open and stepped under the spray. “Help me get clean, Jer.”

She clearly didn’t have to ask him twice. He
shoved his pants off and joined her in the shower. She wasn’t
kidding about getting clean; she felt grimy and disgusting, like
she could spend an hour under hot water with a scrub brush and
still be dirty.

Jeremiah cupped her face, and she met his
gaze. “I can still see their hands on you as you screamed.”

She felt tears sting her eyes, and she
blinked them away. “I just want your hands on me.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up as he
lowered his head and kissed her. Everything inside her heated and
twisted as the simple press of lips became something more. Their
mouths opened and their tongues met, sliding and dancing, as he
pulled her closer. She could feel the press of his hard cock
against her stomach, and she had to force herself to stop kissing
him so they could clean up.

A bottle of body wash and a new bar of soap
sat in a basket on the floor of the shower. She knelt and picked
them up, straightening as she handed him the body wash and began to
lather the soap in her hands.

“It feels like a lot more time has passed
than two days,” she said as she dropped the soap back into the
basket and began to rub her lathered hands over his shoulders and
chest.

“Yeah. In a weird way I feel like I’ve known
you my whole life. I guess it’s the connection between our wolves
that does that. I feel like I’m complete when we’re together.”

“Me too.” His soapy hands caressed her
shoulders, his thumbs stroking her throat gently.

She realized that he wasn’t injured. “You’re
healed.”

“What?”

“You have blood on your face and body, but
you’re not bleeding or bruised.”

“I was in my shift the first time for several
hours while we waited for Acksel to get us, and then I shifted
again so he could see.”

“I’m glad you’re not injured anymore. And you
know what else is cool? You can talk in your shift. I’ve
always
wanted to do that.”

His brow furrowed, and he stopped rubbing his
soapy hands on her stomach. “If you’re afraid of my shift, it’s
okay. I mean, I would understand.”

“Jer, what’s it going to take for you to see
that I’m your mate and I’m not going anywhere? You could have
shifted into a green monkey tonight and I would still be just as
proud of you for what you did.”

“Green monkey?” His mouth quirked.

She rolled her eyes. “Would you listen to me?
I’m serious. I think you look awesome in your shift. I’m not afraid
of you and I never will be, got it?”

He exhaled slowly. She could see doubt in the
depths of his eyes. She couldn’t really imagine what he’d dealt
with over the years in the pack, anticipating his shift but never
realizing it, when it came so easily to everyone else. Now, he
hadn’t shifted into a traditional wolf, which would have been
amazing, considering he’d never done it before, but he’d shifted
into something new entirely. It would screw with anyone’s mind.

She pushed his hand slowly down her stomach
to the apex of her thighs. His fingers brushed the lips of her
pussy, and she shivered. He growled as his fingers slipped down,
grazing her clit with a slow stroke.

“Wet,” he growled.

She gripped his wrist. “You do that to me.
Your scent, your strength, your sexy growl.”

He growled again, a smile curving his lips.
His fingers rubbed her clit in a slow circle, and her hips
followed. She reached for his cock, grasping his hard length with
one hand and stroking him slowly. He gently pushed her hand
away.

“If you touch me, I’m going to forget all
about making you come.”

“I’d hate that,” she smiled. Leaning back
through the shower spray, she rested her shoulders on the cold tile
and spread her legs as far as she could. The water pounded down as
he gripped her hip with one big hand and played with her clit. He
wiggled the bud back and forth, up and down, until her head banged
back against the tile as pleasure swamped her. “Right there, oh
fuck, right there.”

She felt his fingers dig into her hips, but
she didn’t care. Her body heated and tightened, pleasure coiling
hot and hard inside her as he moved his finger over her bud. He
stopped and her eyes flew open. She hadn’t even realized she’d
closed them.

“Just making sure you’re with me,” he
chuckled.

“I’ll get you back,” she promised.

“I’m looking forward to it.” He chuckled and
moved his finger on her clit again, pushing her right back to the
point of climax, where she’d been just moments before. He was so
good at touching her, it was like they’d been together forever. Her
stomach clenched tightly and heat flooded her as her back bowed and
she cried out his name.

Still trembling from her orgasm, she wanted
to say something amazing, but her brain was fizzling out as the
wolf inside her demanded they mate with their male. She gasped as
he lifted and turned her so she was pressed against the other wall,
the water splashing on his back instead of on her.

He lowered her onto his cock, burying his
face in her neck and groaning deeply as he slid all the way inside
her. She wrapped her still-tingling arms and legs around him and
moaned his name.

“You feel like heaven,” he murmured. He
kissed up her neck and bit gently on her ear as he shifted his hips
and slid partway out of her throbbing pussy.

Damn, that was sweet.

He began to move in and out of her, the sound
of their bodies coming together overshadowing the noise of the
shower. He held her so tightly she couldn’t do anything but hold on
as he increased the pace until he was pounding into her. She let
her head fall back and moaned loudly. He kissed her throat, nipping
at the tender flesh there, and she squeezed her thighs tighter
around his waist.

His teeth gripped her shoulder as he cradled
her ass with one arm and planted his other hand on the tile. His
arm flexed, and she was vaguely aware of the sound of the tile
cracking, but she was too lost to the feeling of him pushing inside
her. Taking her. Loving her.

She reached for him, gripping his hair with
both hands and fisting the short strands. His teeth breached the
skin on her shoulder and everything inside her went white-hot as
sparks flashed before her eyes. She couldn’t hear anything over the
rush of blood in her ears. Her whole body jolted as she came, and
he lifted from her shoulder and howled as he joined her.