“Is anyone there?” The Alpha’s question was met with silence. As he shielded his face with his arm, he coughed, ash coating his tongue. Red-hot embers crunched beneath his feet as he stepped into what was left of the bar.
He sensed the death all around him as souls left the bodies. Humans and vampires lay strewn among the rubble.
As Cheryl’s face came into sight, he rushed to her side. Her lifeless eyes stared up at him as he reached for her. As he tugged the shard of wood out of her chest, he knew it wouldn’t make a difference.
“Come on, girl.” Hunter hung his head in frustration. “Ah, fuck. I’m sorry. This is some shit.”
The familiar stench of Hell teased his nostrils, and Hunter gritted his teeth, his chest tight as he kissed the top of her head. Fucking demons.
He’d have to call the police department to claim the human bodies. With no particular vampire in charge of the others in Jackson Hole, he’d have his wolves help dispose of any vampires who weren’t cremated by the flames.
A cold drop of water stung his face, the sky rumbling loudly. Lightning flashed across the plains, and he cursed as the torrential downpour commenced. As he headed toward his car, he growled, his mind racing. The wolves who had killed these innocents would suffer. He’d track them to the ends of the Earth and pick them off one by one. No one attacked in his territory and lived to tell about it. Death would come swiftly, and its name would be ALPHA .
Hunter sensed the lupine energy the minute he stepped into his home. “What the fuck?”
“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Viktor appeared out of nowhere.
“Where’s Willa?”
“Yeah, about that. She’s upstairs. She’s fine. But…well. You see, we have a little…um, what you’d call a situation.”
“I’m in no mood for your jokes, Vik. I’ve got over a dozen dead vampires being buried or sent to their next of kin. Dead humans too. If these assholes blew up a club tonight, who’s to say what else they’ll do? I need to consider what’s going to happen next. All I know is either way, Willa can’t stay here. She’s in danger.”
“You see. About her.” Viktor hesitated. “Alpha, I say this with the utmost respect…your girlfriend…she’s an animal in bed. And not in a good way.”
“She’s not my…ah, forget about it. Just tell me. What in the hell is going on?”
“You feel her, right?”
Hunter took a deep breath, concentrating on her energy. His eyes flashed to Viktor’s. Relief coursed through him; he’d been concerned that her traumatized wolf refused to surface. “She’s shifted.”
“Yes. All is well. Now before you go to her, tell me about what went on after I left.” Viktor changed the subject.
“I’ve got some of my guys out taking care of the vampires. Ones who have families. Whatever you all call them. Your friends? Coven…whatever. If they were close, they’re going to find out. The vampires who live here are going to have to find a new place to go for blood. Cheryl handled all that shit. I’m going to put my beta, Remus, in charge for now until we find a new vamp, get a club going. They can’t just go around biting humans that aren’t donors.”
“Technically you’re not supposed to,” Viktor said with a devious smile. “Accidents happen.”
“Don’t even fucking joke about it,” Hunter warned.
“They wouldn’t be wrong, tho. They blew up the whole damn building.”
“I’ve got every wolf in the pack on alert. I’ve got to catch and kill these assholes. My bet is that they’re on the run. We’ve got to get out there and start looking. They’re going to want Willa back in Hell.”
“Speaking of Hell.” Viktor strode across the living room. He moved to the bar and began searching through the cabinets. “If you hadn’t come to get me, I would have died.”
“Make yourself at home. Don’t be shy.” Hunter knew Hell better than anyone. The Alpha fell back into an oversized chair and leaned his head on the cushion, staring up at the ceiling. Although he heard no noise from above, he sensed her energy, her anger. Willa. “I’ve got to convince her to stay with me. It’s the only way I can keep her safe.”
“Agreed. You know, I never meant to bite her.” The vampire set a glass onto the counter and opened a bottle of whiskey, pouring a generous amount into it.
“Are we doing this now? Or should I say again?” Hunter fought long and hard not to live in the past. With his patience tried, he gladly reached for the drink Viktor gave him.
“I don’t know how long I was gone,” Viktor confessed.
“Over a month.” Hunter didn’t blink. He’d counted the days, carefully planning his rescue trip.
“I like to eat every day. The longest I’ve ever gone without….well…” Viktor’s brows furrowed in thought. He sank down onto the sofa, lifting his glass to his lips. “My sire was a vicious individual. You know what he did to Quintus. Killed Mao. He drew great pleasure from seeing us all suffer. Days without eating, driving us to madness. He’d laugh as we nearly killed the unwilling humans he threw at our feet. It was all a show to him. He wanted us to kill. To be like him. To turn to darkness. To revel in those demonic tendencies that drove his very existence. But you see that’s not how it works. One must have chosen this path in life in some aspect. Still it didn’t stop him from trying.”
“It’s not like you and Quint are a couple of boy scouts.” Hunter lifted the rim to his lips, the warm golden fluid gliding down his throat.
“We don’t kill for sport.” Viktor’s eyes locked on Hunter’s, his tone serious.
“Good to know.” A corner of his lip turned upward, his tone laced with sarcasm.
“Demons. They enjoy the sport. They enjoy the death and torture. In Hell it’s a free-for-all.”
“I know better than you think.” When he’d been trapped in the underworld, he’d lost track of time. He’d found out later he’d been gone for over a year.
“I’ve never gone longer than a week without blood and by that time, I’d been feral. So, when I saw Willa…”
Hunter slowly blinked, forcing himself to listen.
“I told you I didn’t hurt Willa, but I fed from her.”
“You could have drained her dry.” As his hands tightened around his glass, he sucked a breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
“I won’t deny it, but you can hardly blame me.”
“No, I kinda can blame you. For all kinds of things. But…but…” Hunter held up a finger. “You did not ask to go to Hell. That I do know. Which is why I decided to come get you. Quint had his hands full. And so…”
“We digress. Willa. I didn’t mean to drain her to the point I did, but there is only so much control I have. I did not hurt her.”
“I don’t want to know this part.” The thought of Willa in the throes of sexual release angered him. She didn’t ask for any of it.
“I know what you’re thinking, but you know how it works. There is no other way. But if you’re worried…I was in no condition to…well, you know…take things any further. And poor thing…she was in no condition either.”
“What is your fucking point, Vik?” Hunter forced an impassive expression, concealing his relief. Thank the Goddess he hadn’t touched her.
“Ilsbeth. I don’t know why she was there. Or how she got there. But she intervened. She offered me her blood.”
“Talk about a deal with the devil.”
“No, there was something different about her. She wasn’t Zella or whoever she’d said she was down in New Orleans. She was the high priestess. As real as you and I are sitting here. She whispered a spell upon Willa.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“I don’t think it was a curse or anything like that. Willa simply fell into a deep healing sleep. Then she offered her blood and I took it. I can’t explain it. I don’t know how she got there.”
“Samantha said she’d escaped the coven. But she also said that there was no way she could have left on her own.”
“There you go. She’d been beaten when she’d come to me. She gave me her blood, but I’d given her my blood too.”
“Jesus. You know better than to give that witch anything. What the fuck were you thinking?” Hunter shook his head. “Don’t answer that. You weren’t thinking, because you were in Hell.”
“Nothing can be done about it now. I’ve had her blood and she’s had mine. No harm no foul.”
“Says you now. Next week when she turns you into her love slave, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I’m not daft, wolf. Ilsbeth is clever all right. She’s literally danced with the devil and his demons. But she’s not quite as old as I am. The truth of it is that sometimes your enemies become your friends when there is a greater enemy who is set on destroying both of you. You adapt. Survival of the fittest.”
Hunter downed the rest of his whiskey and set his glass on the table. “Look, Vik. What do you need to tell me about Willa before I go up there? Because I’m getting ready to lock the wards down on this house and go to bed. You’re welcome to the guest room.”
“She’s in your bedroom. Not that I’ve had the pleasure of being in your bed, but a man’s dominion is quite easy to determine.”
“You’re never going to be in my bed either. Why are we even talking about this?” Hunter stretched his neck from side to side. “Willa. Tell me what happened.”
“She remembers.”
Hunter’s stomach tightened, his lips drawn tight together. “Fuck.”
“Yes, well. Before you panic…”
“I’m Alpha. I don’t panic.”
“Before you go storming into your bedroom.”
That was exactly what Hunter planned on doing but kept silent, listening.
“She…um…well…”
“Spit it out.”
“She was a little upset with me. You see she seems to have a bit of trouble with me dematerializing. So, this is an issue. We got to talking about this. She wasn’t exactly pleased about her condition or leaving you. And I happened to mention that it could have been…maybe something to do with blood.”
“Did someone drop you on your head while you were in Hell? Because for a thousand-year-old vampire or however old your ass is, you don’t seem too smart.”
“Don’t be an asshole. Correct that. A big asshole.”
“I’m pissed off. That you’ve had her blood. That you just told her what happened.” Hunter snatched his glass and stood, walking over to the bar.
“I didn’t tell her everything. Her memories. They’re coming back on their own. It was inevitable. I may have filled in a few pieces but not all of them.”
Hunter poured another drink and shoved it aside. He flattened his palms on the cool granite bar, reminding himself that Willa didn’t belong to him. She was a rogue wolf he’d found in Hell, not one of his own. Still, anger coursed through his veins.
“I don’t want anything happening to her.”
“You saved me, yes?” Viktor strode to the bar and stared at the Alpha. “I owe you. And because I owe you, you will have the truth.”
“What is it?”
“When we were in Hell. She tasted…powerful. Old. Her blood was different.”
“She’s a wolf.”
“She’s a wolf but I could have sworn there was something else. I’ve had many wolves over the centuries but her blood…she’s hiding something.”
“I know she’s hiding something. Whoever is chasing her clearly wants something. Selling someone to Hell isn’t an easy task. You risk getting your own ass fried. No.” Hunter plowed his fingers through his hair, exhaling loudly. “They’re in with demons. They’re not everyday rogues.”
“Her blood. Something about it. I know it was Hell. The sulfur. The rancid odors skew your taste. But she tasted…tainted.”
“Like from a demon?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like I go around biting demons. It’s just there was something unusual about her blood. Almost like a fae. But not really.” Viktor’s lips drew into a tense line as he looked toward the fire. “I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I know there is something off. I’m not letting you or her out of my sight.”
Hunter’s eyes widened. “She’s not a demon.”
“I didn’t say she was a demon. I just said her blood is tainted.”
“Willa is not a demon,” Hunter repeated, his voice louder.
Viktor shook his head and turned to meet the Alpha’s gaze. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed something. Something different about her. Anything.”
Hunter clenched his fists. He’d detected her unique energy the first time he touched her.
“You have noticed. I know you have,” Viktor insisted. “You’re an Alpha. If she’s your mate you’ll find out some day.”
“Mate? Hold up. Let me get this straight. First she’s a demon and now she’s my mate?” Hunter held his hands up. “This convo has officially gone off the rails. I think I’ve had enough to drink.”
“Don’t play me, Hunter. Your actions speak volumes. You brought a total stranger into your home. Your bed. You don’t just pat her on her head, give her a few bucks and send her on her merry way.”
“I would do that for anyone,” he lied.
“I suggest that you be truthful with yourself before you go demanding honesty from Willa. Because if she’s a demon, you’ll have to kill her.”
“She’s not a demon. And the only people I’m killing are the wolves who killed all those people tonight. This ends now.”
“Fine. Ignore me. But since I can see you aren’t going to watch your own back, I’m going to be doing it for you.”
“I have a beta for that. Remus will be back soon.”
“I don’t like him.”
“You don’t know him. And it doesn’t matter. Remus will do fine to help me with Willa.”
“No, he won’t, because I’m here.”
“Suit yourself.” Hunter looked to the stairway, listening for Willa. “She’s quiet. I’ve got to go talk to her.”
Hunter walked from behind the bar, turning his back to the vampire. As he placed his hand onto the stair rail, the Alpha heard his voice.
“One more thing.” Viktor chuckled.
“What?” Hunter’s faced tensed in aggravation.
“She’s not very tame,” Viktor called to him.
“Wolves aren’t tame. She’s an animal.”
“Ah, good then. It brings us back to my original statement about her being an animal in bed. Still funny.”
“Not even a little bit.”
“You’re going to have your hands full. She didn’t want to listen to me.”
“You’re not her Alpha.” Hunter gave a small smile as he ascended.
The vampire had one thing right, he’d taken Willa into his pack, expecting her, a rogue, to submit to him. Yes, there indeed was something extraordinary about the she-wolf but he refused to believe she could be demon. Viktor may have been ancient, but he’d also been in Hell for over a month. All his time in Hell could have affected not only his taste but his mind. In the underworld, demons manipulated memories and perceptions of reality. They forced their victims to do horrible things they’d never thought they were capable of doing.
Secrets? Yes, Willa kept several, but he couldn’t fault her sense of self-preservation. Her secrets had most likely kept her alive all these years, surviving on her own with no pack. Soon, he’d unravel them all.
As he strode toward his bedroom and wrapped his fingers around the doorknob, excitement pumped through him. Tonight, his beast would meet hers.
Hunter closed his eyes and reached for Willa, warning her of his intention to open the door. He smiled, realizing she’d blocked him. He’d extended her a courtesy, but his little she-wolf would soon learn he wouldn’t be denied the truth.
He heard the growling as he opened the door. The sight of the majestic, spectacular she-wolf lying on his bed sent a shiver up his spine.
“You’re beautiful.” Hunter’s heart pounded faster as he grew closer to her. “I think it’s about time we had a talk.”
Only one thing would convince her to shift, to submit. His beast paced, itching to be released.
“Easy, Wills. I hear you’ve been having some memories.” Hunter began to peel off his clothing, readying to shift. “The vampire. Now I know what you’re thinkin’. He can be a bit of an asshole, but I consider him a friend. Most days anyway. His brother, Quint, cares about him. It’s why I went into Hell to grab his ass.” As he unzippered his jeans, he focused on the white feral wolf, never taking his eyes off hers.
“I know more than anyone that Hell is a place of nightmares. You can’t remember when you went in or when you came out. Time is relative. Your memories fail you, or your mind is tricked into believing things that never happened. The torture plagues you and you never think you can shake it, but then you do. You go on with your life. You find happiness again.”
Hunter tossed his jeans on the floor, standing nude before her. “I know you’re not going to come back to this world as a human and that’s all right with me. Sometimes Willa, we’ve got to go back to what we know. The most basic of our selves. Our truth. And right now, you’re gorgeous and wild. But you’re no longer a rogue. You may not be pack yet but you’re mine.”
Willa snapped and snarled in response.
Hunter smiled with a small laugh. “I know you’re special. I know you have secrets. But there’s something I need to tell you. You can’t hide anymore. I’m Alpha.”
Hunter sent his magick spiraling through his body, transforming into his beast. All his wolves would sense his infinite power. As his paws hit the floor, he released a deafening howl.
The Alpha set his sight on Willa. Her fur bristled in response, her haunches raised as she gave a low growl. The Alpha grew excited as he slowly stalked toward her. Mine , the wolf urged. His beast demanded her submission, but his humanity warned it was too soon.
The Alpha jumped on the bed and Willa barked at him. As he crept closer, she stood her ground, frozen as he nudged his muzzle into her fur.
The Alpha inhaled her scent, his wolf recognizing her as his. Her low growl drifted into silence as he circled around her. He noted how she kept her eyes trained on his every movement but didn’t make a move to shift or run.
Hunter’s heart raced as she studied him. The beast inside called to her. Willa. She blinked but showed no other sign of communication. Hunter slowly backed away, focused on the wolf. Willa , he called louder, his mind to hers, and she barked in response. Yes. Come to your Alpha. A rush of adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he quickly shifted back to his human form.
“I know you can feel me. I also know you don’t want to get that close to an Alpha. My power…” Hunter deliberately released his energy, tendrils dancing around her. “All the wolves just felt it. Even the rogues, the ones who just killed everyone at the club. Even you.”
Sitting on the bed, Hunter closed the distance, and he instinctively reached for her. Her intermittent low growl quieted as his fingers brushed over her fur.
“That’s a girl. You’re safe here. It’s okay to just feel. To feel me. To feel in touch with my wolf.” Hunter gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay to be angry about what happened in Hell. I wasn’t happy either when I found out, but here’s the thing…Viktor…I know he can be…” Hunter shrugged, “difficult. Arrogant. Ridiculous at times even. But he’s got this part of him that’s decent. I’m not saying he doesn’t do bad shit, because I know he’s Quint’s brother and the two of them are a couple of bad asses. But he’s not going to kill an innocent. It’s just not his style.”
Willa’s muscles relaxed underneath his palm as he stroked her, his voice soft. “I know what Hell is like, Willa. Not just this time when I chose to go back. I’ve actually been there on a more permanent basis…kinda like you. It’s not like I don’t know what it feels like. To lose time. To not remember. Then to have flashbacks of the torture. I get it. And the only thing that got me through it was being around pack. Friends.”
Hunter’s heart caught as she transformed before him. She quickly reached for the blanket, tugging it over her bare body. Wolves didn’t usually shy away from nudity, yet she’d been secluded for so long from others, she’d adopted more human norms.
Willa stared at him, her long brunette locks draped around her face. “Is that what we are? Friends?”
Hunter chuckled. “Yeah, I’d like to think that, but we make nice music together.”
“That we did.” Willa gave a small smile. “About Viktor…”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But if you do, I’m here.”
“I don’t feel a bond to him,” she insisted. “I…I don’t know why that matters. I don’t want to be bonded to him.”
“I’ve known a lot of vampires and they usually need to be close to someone to form a bond. And when they do, it’s not a real bond like the one they form with their mate.”
“I know that but it’s just…I don’t let others bite me. Not vampires.” She averted her gaze, her lips tensed. “Not wolves.”
“There’s something about you, sweetheart. I know you’re special. I don’t know what it is.”
“What’s what?”
“Your secret. But I’m a patient man and a firm believer in having people make the right decisions themselves.”
“What makes you think me telling you my secret is the right decision?” she asked.
“I risked my ass to get you outta Hell. And I’d do it again. You can trust me.”
“I’m not trying to be difficult. You have to understand. The people who died tonight. That’s on me. My fault. Not yours. Not Viktor’s. My secrets are what put me in Hell. It’s why these assholes are here, killing people. They know it. I know it.”
“Look at me, Willa.”
She slowly raised her gaze to meet his, and as their eyes locked, his pulse raced. This beautiful creature was in his mind and his bed, his wolf urging him to take her.
“I want your agreement that you’ll stay with me for a while. Whether that’s here or wherever we find the wolves who did this. You can come with me when I track them down and we’ll go get whatever you need in New Orleans and Guatemala along the way. But I want your agreement on this.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I’m an Alpha. I can force you to stay here. I don’t want to have to do that because I know you’ve been traumatized already but I can’t…I won’t let you run off on your own, knowing full well they could try to put you back in Hell. Now, I know you’re thinking to yourself that I’m not your Alpha, that you’re not in a pack and can do whatever you want. While I’d generally agree and have no say, I simply cannot let you go off alone. You…” belong to me, “are my responsibility.”
“You’re not my guardian angel.”
“Make no mistake, I’m no angel, period. It’s not in my repertoire.”
“Why do you want to do this? Is this an Alpha thing?”
“Yeah, it’s an Alpha thing, but if I’m being straight with you, this is a friend thing. This is about someone who cares about you. Someone who knows there’s something different about you but who doesn’t care what your secret is. Someone you can trust to have your back.”
“It’s not like I don’t want someone to help me.” Willa’s face softened. “I just…what just happened. There will be others. They will do anything to put me back in Hell.”
“Let em’ try. I’ll be waiting. But in the meantime, I’ll be there for you, and when you’re ready,” because she is going to tell me sooner or later, “you’ll tell me your secrets. Stay.”
Hunter studied her as she took several seconds, mulling over his offer.
“I’ll stay for a little bit, but I can’t stay here long. I know I said I needed to go to New Orleans, but I’ve thought about it. I should go back to Guatemala first. There something I’ve got to take care of.”
“All right. Then I’m goin’ with. Whatever you’ve got yourself into is far too dangerous. If these rogues are using demon magick, they are going to be able to track you wherever you go.”
Hunter noted the mystery swirling in her dark brown eyes, as she drifted deep into thought. He’d stepped into danger more times than he could count. It was precisely how he’d landed his ass in Hell the first time, but he’d be damned if he allowed Willa to go it alone. She’d learn in time that pack was more than family. It was home.
“I’ve been many things in this lifetime. A daughter. A sister.” Willa exhaled slowly, her soft gaze drifting to Hunter.
In the moment of silence, the Alpha noted the sadness in her voice, and reached for her hand.
“A musician. An artist. A dancer. A doctor…ultimately a scientist.” Willa gave a thoughtful smile. “We wonder why we are here. Immortal. Blessed. Some say cursed to live forever. There are days when I truly wonder what the meaning of this life is.”
Hunter’s eyes painted over her lithe body as he contemplated the question that plagued so many immortals. It was both simple and complicated. “Depends what you seek. I’m committed to this pack, to leading for as long as the Goddess sees fit. While we live forever, I do not believe we are infallible. The vampires tonight are proof of that. Tell me, Willa. What do you seek?”
“I’d never been happier than as a doctor. I used my skills to care for the humans as best I could. But like we talked about, they are so fragile. When I lived in Brazil, I spent time searching the Amazon for medicinal plants, but in Guatemala, I discovered something special. You see, the rainforest is ripe with undiscovered species of plants, animals, bugs. And so…”
“What did you find?”
“A plant. It showed potential on its own. Specimen Alyamya, it’s just a name I gave it. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it had the capability to quickly heal skin, generating new cells on cuts and scrapes. But it wasn’t like your average antibiotic cream. Within hours, a minor injury would heal.”
“Like magick?” Hunter raised a questioning eyebrow.
“I just thought if it could heal skin that quickly…” She sighed.
“You asked for demon help?” he asked.
“No way,” she protested, her voice raised at the prospect. “But I did alter it. I used my blood.” Willa cringed, guilt settling in her gut. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Wolf blood doesn’t heal humans,” Hunter challenged. “Vampire blood can for minor things, but you know they’d never allow that shit to go viral.”
“I know. It’s my blood…I don’t want to get into it right now.” It’s different. “The bottom line is that it worked a little too well. It’s not like I showed or even told anyone. No one but my friend, Janet. I only told her about the plant. She worked at the University in New Orleans.”
“Wolf?”
“No. She’s human. I met her at a conference. We attended a stem cell seminar together. I think something happened to her. She wasn’t responding before I was kidnapped. Since I’ve been out of Hell, I haven’t tried to contact her. It doesn’t really matter because she didn’t have the formula I used.”
“You think she has something to do with the wolves attacking you?”
“I don’t really know. I don’t think so. But I do know that someone found out.”
“Is it possible she told a pharmaceutical company? There could be big money in it. You know they’re dippin’ their fingers into the Hell fountain. Look at the kind of shit they do to the humans. Some of it’s not so great. Many humans die because they can’t even afford half the shit they sell.”
“I don’t know. When I talked to Janet, she wasn’t all that impressed with what I told her. You know how scientists are. If you haven’t studied it, proven it, it doesn’t even exist. She didn’t have any samples.”
“Who else knows about this plant?” Hunter asked.
“Only one person from the village knew about the serum. Yoselin, my nurse. But there’s no way she’d tell anyone. My memory is fuzzy, but she died that night. Before they shoved me into the portal, she came running out of the house. Screaming that others had been killed. When she went to help me, they ripped her throat out.”
“You sure she’s the only person who knew?”
“I had no choice. I couldn’t let her die.”
“Who?”
“Fatima. She’s only five years old. Just the cutest little girl you’ve ever seen. She’d been out playing and fell onto a machete that’d been accidentally left in a field. The wound to her leg was severe. With the amount of blood loss…”
“You used the plant on her?”
“Yes,” she admitted. Her voice wavered as she continued. “But not just the plant extract. It wouldn’t have been enough to save her. I knew it wouldn’t be. You have to understand. She would have died.”
“What did you do?” Unlike vampires, wolves didn’t possess the ability to save humans. Although she’d denied asking demons for favors, he suspected she’d engaged in some sort of dark magick.
“I’d experimented.” Willa bit her lip and rolled to her side, still holding Hunter’s hand. “My blood.”
“Your blood? You’re not a vampire.”
“No. But I’m not like other wolves. I told you. My blood is special.”
“Willa. Wolves don’t heal humans. Sometimes we can help heal other wolves, but never humans.” Tainted. Viktor’s comments echoed in his mind, but he refused to believe she was demon.
Willa moved to sit up but didn’t release her hand. His arousal heightened as she placed her palm to his chest, gently guiding him onto his back. Hunter made no move to cover his nude body as she knelt next to him.
“Well, this has taken a turn for the better.” Hunter flashed her a sexy smile. “But wolves still don’t heal humans.”
“My blood is special.”
“You are special,” Hunter told her. He couldn’t deny the attraction to the creature he’d saved from Hell. His wolf urged him to take her, but he slammed down the instinct, focusing on her full lips as she spoke.
“I’m wolf. But my blood…it’s different. You can feel me.”
“Yes, I…” The Alpha’s words silenced as her fingers trailed down his chest toward his abdomen. His skin tingled in their wake.
“What you are feeling is my blood. My power.” Her lips curled upward. “It’s magick in my blood. You can feel it. See it.”
Hunter glanced down to his abdomen, astonished to see a trail of light along his skin. “What are you doing?”
“These are the secrets I share with you tonight, Alpha.”
Willa dragged the pad of her thumb over his hip. Blood rushed to his cock as her fingers teased lower down his abdomen.
“Who are you?” he asked, not really caring at the moment where she came from or the fact his skin was glowing.
“I do have a secret I will tell you.” Willa leaned toward him, a whisper on her lips. “I…I…I want you.”
Hunter’s pulse raced as she drew closer, the heat of her body emanating onto his. The beast paced, his prey within reach. Willa’s fingertips brushed the edge of his cock, and he lost control.
A moan escaped her lips as Hunter flipped her onto her back. Although logic told him to stop, to press her for the truth, he gave into his craving. His lips crushed upon her mouth, his tongue dancing with hers. She tasted like honey and fire, her mouth desperately seeking his.
Willa moaned into his kiss, and he lifted his gaze to meet hers, murmuring into her lips. “Sweetheart, I’ve gotta have you. Please tell me you want this.”
She nodded, grasping at his shoulders. As her lips brushed his, seeking his kiss, she tilted her hips upward, grazing her pelvis against his.
“Let’s make some music,” she whispered, her sultry voice twisting through him.
His mouth went to her neck and she arched her back as he peppered kisses down to her collarbone. Her fingers tunneled into his hair as he continued his journey, his lips trailing down her chest and sucking her nipple into his mouth.
“Yes,” she cried, her hands full of his hair. She sighed as he released her breast, his lips trailing down her stomach to her pelvis.
“Little wolf. Little wolf.” Hunter sucked a quiet breath as he gently pressed her knees open, exposing her glistening pussy. The Alpha thrummed his thumb through her wet folds and over her clitoris. Her hands gripped his shoulders as he blew gently across her slick heat. “I’m going to devour you.”
“Alpha…” Her words disappeared as his tongue delved through her labia, teasing her sensitive nub.
At the taste of her, his beast paced, warning him that this one was his. Feral, it sought its mate. Ignoring his wolf, he indulged, lapping at her clit. Devouring her as if he was a starved man, he teased his devilish tongue over her swollen bead, holding her hips firm as she began to tremble beneath him.
His fingers traveled under her bottom and teased toward her core. She arched her back, moaning in delight, as he slid a thick digit deep inside her, continuing to flick over her clit.
“Hunter…oh Goddess.” As he brought her toward her climax, her nails dug into his shoulders. “I’ve got to…please…”
Her urgent cries for release stirred his beast. I know her. His cock hardened to concrete.
Easing a second finger inside her, he curled the tips along her sensitive strip of nerves. Lapping at her clitoris, he plunged his fingers inside her tight core.
“Now, please,” she urged, shaking as her orgasm tore through her.
Her hands moved once again into his hair. The sweet sting on his scalp caused a sexy smile as he rose above her, in awe of her ethereal beauty. She wore a glow upon her skin, her hungry eyes drinking in the sight of him.
“You…you’re…I…” she panted, unable to speak coherently.
“I’ve got to be in you now,” he said, his voice low and sexy. Nothing could keep him from having her. This woman. This wolf. Something about her drove his savage instincts feral.
“Yes…yes.” She nodded.
As he drove his cock deep inside her pussy, Hunter heard the whisper on her lips. “Mine.”
He went still, his body electrified with arousal. Like a teenager with uncontrollable urges, he fought the wave of climax. Mine. As in mine? She can’t be my mate. That isn’t what she said. His wolf roared in his mind. Fuck, no. Deal with this later. Oh shit. I am not coming. Don’t…no! He sucked a breath, forcing the suggestion to the back of his mind.
“My Alpha,” she breathed, caressing his cheek. Her hips moved flush to his, her tight pussy accepting every hard inch of his shaft.
Convinced she’d read his thoughts, his lips went to her neck, nipping and licking as he pumped in and out of her. He couldn’t face her in this moment, only lose himself within her arms. His wolf would betray his lust for her, its claim that she belonged solely to him, not just as pack but as mate.
His mouth on her breast, he bit upon a taut tip, eliciting a gasp. She moaned as he released her nipple, begging him to increase his pace.
“Harder…yes…please…faster.”
The Alpha’s lips brushed between her supple breasts. “Ah sweetheart, your wish is my command.”
Withdrawing his dick, he gave her a wicked smile as she moaned in protest. Hunter reached for her waist, flipped her onto her stomach, and positioned her bottom toward him.
With one swift thrust, he slammed inside her. Willa cried in ecstasy as he filled her. She clutched at the covers, pressing her bottom toward him.
“That’s. It. Ah…yeah. Fuck me…yes,” she cried.
“You’ve got no idea what you’re doing to me.” He couldn’t possibly tell her what was happening. Hunter’s body tingled with magick, raw and feral energy twisting through him from the top of his head to his toes. This woman drove his beast wild, his humanity foreshadowed by the wolf.
Her pussy spasmed around his cock as he thrust inside her, his fangs elongating as he fought the release. Fucking hell, he’d have her all day long and it would never be enough for him.
Claim her , his wolf urged. And as he plunged inside her, coming hard, he leaned toward her shoulder. No. Stop. Do not fucking claim her, he told his beast, his teeth nearly grazing her skin. Turning his head quickly, he wrapped an arm around her chest and cupped her breast.
As the waves of energy rolled through him, his release subsided. The sound of her panting softly underneath him, giving a gentle moan of satisfaction, seized his chest. What is happening? I found my mate in Hell? She can’t be my mate. Shit. I’m so fucked.
Hunter slowly removed himself from her and adjusted onto his side. He reached a hand around her abdomen and drew her closer to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head. What am I going to do?
“My Alpha,” she whispered, drifting off to sleep.
And in that moment, he knew the exact answer to his own question. Mate.