“Concentrate, Rikki.”
“I can’t do this,” Rikki snapped, standing in the middle of the barn in her underwear and nothing else. Sweat poured over her as she fought to keep her wolf contained. She was terrified that if she let her out again, she would try to kill someone this time.
“Call to your wolf,” Angel encouraged gently. “She’s right there waiting. I can feel her.”
“What if she tries to hurt someone again, Angel? With Jeremiah gone still, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control her.”
“You talk to Jeremiah almost every day,” Angel reminded her. “He’s fine and will be home soon. You know it, your wolf knows it. It’s been too long, Rikki. You need to let her out.”
“Where’s Chase?”
“He’s right outside.”
“He should be in here with me, dammit! He’s my alpha, and he should be here helping me.”
Angel paused, cocking an eyebrow. “You’ve accepted Chase as your alpha?”
“Well, yes.”
“Has your wolf?”
“Yes.”
“When did this happen?”
“When he almost kicked my ass when Cujo went crazy on everyone last time. It took a little while for it to sink in, but she must have finally decided that he is stronger than she is.”
“I think it is more that she realized he would protect you at all costs. I’ll be right back.” Angel left, but was back soon with Chase. “Okay, we are both here. Now, let her out, Rikki. I promise, it will be okay.”
Rikki groaned, her body vibrating in excitement and fear, then she closed her eyes and called to her wolf. She was there instantly, a soft brush against her skin, a rumble in her throat. Rikki felt her muscles begin to stretch, bones pop, but this time instead of fighting it, she merged fully with her wolf, instinctively knowing it would be better not to fight it. It took a few minutes, but finally she was standing in front of Chase and Angel on four paws, craning her head to look up at them.
Chase smiled, kneeling beside her. “How are you feeling, little wolf?”
Rikki cocked her head to the side. She was surprised to find out that the rage and anger inside her were gone. Without them, she felt… good. Great. When Chase ran a hand gently over her fur, Rikki leaned into him with a sigh. The feelings of trust and belonging that hadn’t been there before were out full force now. She trusted the man running his fingers through her fur. Knew he would watch over her, protect her from all else. There was a bond between them, different from the one that connected her to her mate, but it was there. She could feel it. And there were others. Pack. Lifting her head, she howled loudly. Chase chuckled, patting her neck before standing. When he rose and stepped away, she howled again. Then, she paused when a scent drifted into the barn, tickling her nose. Not just any scent… the scent of her mate.
Rikki raced to the door, scratching at it and whining until Angel opened it with a laugh. She knew she could have shifted and gone to meet Jeremiah, but her wolf wanted to play, and so did she. She paused right outside the barn, her eyes on the man who stood just a few yards away. Damn, he was gorgeous. He was talking to Nico and Phoenix, but she knew the second he realized she was there. He turned to her and grinned. Jeremiah held out a hand, but she shook her head. When his eyes narrowed, she threw her head back and howled loudly, almost as if in challenge. Then, she turned and ran.
Jeremiah stripped quickly, ignoring the jeering calls of the others. If his wolf wanted him to chase her, he was going to chase her. The thought of what he was going to do when he caught her had him leaping forward, shifting in midair. He heard someone mutter, “Holy shit!” as he came down on all four large paws, but he ignored them. The only thing on his mind now was his mate. The hunt was on.
Rikki was fast, and it took Jeremiah a good twenty minutes before he finally caught up with her. He lumbered through the forest behind Angel’s farm, lifting his head and inhaling deeply. Her sweet scent poured into him, and a low rumble started in his chest. She was so close he could fucking taste it. He wanted her, had missed her so much. Needed to be balls deep inside her.
It was by chance that he saw her tail rising up behind a fallen log, and then he saw her peeking over the top of it mischievously. He growled in warning, a warning she didn’t heed. She was off like a streak of lightning, with him right behind her. They played like that for another fifteen minutes or so, but then he’d had enough. He couldn’t wait any longer. When she stood less than twenty feet away from him, dancing around lightly on her feet, Jeremiah shifted. “Baby, your wolf is so beautiful, but I need you now. Please, come back to me. I’ve missed you so fucking much.”
As he watched, the wolf paused, cocking her head to the side, and then Rikki stood where the wolf had been. “I missed you, too,” she breathed.
Jeremiah quickly closed the distance between them, sinking his hands into the thick strands of her hair. Tilting her head back, he covered her mouth with his. He deepened the kiss when she moaned, sliding his tongue inside her mouth and tangling it with hers. Holding her still, he ravaged her mouth, taking all she was willing to give.
Rikki pressed her body against his, scraping her nails down his back. Jeremiah groaned, shuddering at the small bite of pain. Pulling back, he nipped at her lips hungrily, stroking over them with his tongue afterwards. “Rikki,” he groaned against her mouth. “I don’t think I can be gentle.”
“Did I ask you to be?” she snarled, raking her nails down his back again, this time running them all the way down over his ass. “I want you, Jeremiah. Deep inside me, where you belong. I need to feel you. Now.”
“I fucking love you,” he growled, sliding his hands below the curve of her ass to lift her in the air. Turning, he placed her back against the tree trunk next to him. “Tell me if it hurts.”
“Just get inside of me.”
He grinned at her order, then shifted her higher, sliding the tip of his cock into her wet heat. He paused, a shudder running through him as the walls of her hot sheath tightened around him. “You feel so good,” he rasped. “So tight. Hot. Mine.”
“Jeremiah!” Rikki wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands going to his shoulders, nails digging in as she held on. “Show me!”
“What?” He loved the little moans that slid out of her as he began to move, a slow deep thrust, and then back out.
“Show me that I’m yours,” she demanded.
Her deep brown eyes began to glow with a slight golden tint, and the tips of her fangs showed past her lips. It drove him wild.
“You are mine,” he snarled, grasping her hips tightly as he pushed into her. “Now. Forever. Always.”
“Yes!” Rikki cried, her eyes going to his shoulder where her mate mark was as he began to pound into her. “Yours!”
Letting his fangs drop, Jeremiah lowered his head to her shoulder, licking at his own mate mark.
“Please, Jeremiah!”
He didn’t make her wait. Opening his mouth wide, he sank his fangs in deep, groaning when he felt her shatter around him. So fucking hot and wet, and all his. Then, her teeth were in him, and he let out a roar as he lost control, spilling inside her.
Jeremiah rode out his orgasm, holding his mate close, his teeth still deep in her skin. He needed this so badly. The last couple of weeks without her had been hell. That was the last time he was leaving her for any long length of time. It was too much for him, too much for his bear.
“I love you, Jeremiah.” Her words were a soft whisper against his skin, as she licked over the mating bite. “So much.”
Slowly, reluctantly, he removed his fangs and ran his tongue over her soft skin to help the bite heal faster. “I love you, too, little wolf.”
Rikki hesitated before asking, “Do you have to go back?”
“No, baby,” he said quietly, slipping out of her and lowering her down on her feet. Gently, he wiped the small pieces of bark from her back. “My time with the bureau is over. I’m here for good.”
“Is it wrong that I’m happy about that?”
“Why would it be?” he asked, looking down at her in surprise. “I am.”
Rikki shrugged, ducking her head shyly. “We never really talked about what we were going to do. Where we would live. I know you have a life where you were before. Family, friends. I don’t want to take you away from everyone and everything you know.”
Jeremiah cupped her face in his hands, tilting her head up until he was looking into her beautiful, expressive eyes. “You are all that I need, Rikki Diamond.”
“But your family? Family is important.”
“Yes, they are, but mine doesn’t live near me. My family is large and spread out all over the United States. Trust me, they don’t care where I live as long as I visit sometimes. As for friends,” he shrugged, “I never had time to make any close friends. My work was my life. Now, you are.”
Rikki watched him closely, as if gauging the truth of his words, and then a large grin spread across her face. “You’re mine, too, Jeremiah.”
Sliding an arm around her waist, Jeremiah tugged on her to get her moving, and they started to make their way back toward the farm. “I thought I might talk to Chase about that job offer he had.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’d like to be out there helping people again, Rikki. Being behind a desk, that’s not me.”
“No,” she agreed, smiling up at him. “It’s not.”
Jeremiah stopped walking, his full attention on the woman who was looking at him with pure love shining in her eyes. “You are my everything, Rikki. I hope you can deal with that. I will try not to be too overly protective, but it’s in my nature. I’m not sure how much I can hold back.”
Rikki placed a hand on his chest, then leaned up and nipped at his chin. “I want to be your everything.”
Jeremiah growled, covering her lips with his. Soon, he was lowering her to the ground and slipping back inside her. Moving slowly, making love, showing her what she meant to him.