Both boys snarled, and clawed at each other, fighting in their half turned forms. Raine stayed where she sat, her face pale as chalk as she stared at both men, Matthias spared her a glance before he got up to separate them. Silas was the stronger of the two, but Ronan was a nasty fighter. And he lacked in brute strength, he made up for with sheer stubbornness. He had his brother in a chokehold, snarling at his face, his claws digging into the skin of Silas’s throat. Matthias flung him away before he could cause some serious damage. Silas snarled once he was free, lunging up on his feet to attack Ronan again, but Matthias stopped him with a hand on his chest, and a low growl from deep in his chest. A command from their superior alpha. Both men calmed down a fraction. Matthias turned to Ronan. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He snarled. “Oh fuck off, old man.” Ronan snarled back, lips peeled to reveal his fangs. There were cut marks on his face, and a slow bleeding gash on his
Raine nodded dumbly. Ronan leaned down and tapped her cheek with three fingers. His skin was cold, and she flinched. “No, no. I want to hear you say that you understand.” “I understand, alpha.” “Very good.” He sent her a small smile as he finished unwrapping each bandage. Once he was done, he tossed them on the ground in front of her as he stepped past her to the door. Raine stumbled to her feet and went after him. When she stepped into the room, she found it was empty. Ronan was gone. ◆◆◆◆ Selene was waiting for him in a car at the very edge of the pack border. She sat behind the steering wheel of the slick black Audi, popping a gum against blood-red lips as she watched him approach. She looked bored out of her mind. “Where’s Killian?” He asked as soon as he dropped into the passenger seat. “My brother would rather shit sticks than venture this close to the Draven pack.” She popped her gum again, glancing down at Ronan’s hands clenched in his lap. “Your fingers are a mess.”
It had only been a few days since she last saw him, but you would have thought it was an eternity with the way her wolf yipped and preened at the sight of him. And oh, what a sight it was. He was a vision in his black ensemble, all rippling muscles and long legs, and the way his eyes wrinkled in the corners as he laughed softly at something the beta said.Everything about Matthias screams strength, an aura that cannot be diminished. Flashback of their sex making came in full force and Raine gasp softly as she felt the throbbing sensation of her pussy. She knew she's already wet and needy for him. She is wet and needy for her mate’s father. The untouchable and forbidden Matthias Draven.Matthias who is actively focused and listening to the man in front of him, his arms crossed as he reached up and absently stroked his beard, Raine was hit with a vivid memory of how that beard had felt between her thighs, how red and tender the skin had been afterwards. She bit her lip, and took a s
Raine blinked, momentarily disoriented by the stranger's intense gaze. His beauty was disarming. She glanced down at his outstretched hand, a flush creeping up her neck. "Oh. I’m Raine... Whitmore." Killian's answering smirk was knowing, predatory. It wasn't the warmth of Matthias, but something sharper, more dangerous. "Yes, I’m aware." He knows me? A shiver ran through her, a strange mix of unease and a thrill she didn't want to acknowledge. Before she could say anything else, Matthias was there, stepping in between them and pulling her behind his bulk. He was growling—a low rumbly sound she had never heard him make, and for a moment, she felt a bolt of fear zip down her spine. Killian on the other hand, pinned the other alpha with a blank stare. Those icy eyes of his frigid and cold, a stark contrast from the charming man who’d smiled at her. “Leave her alone.” Matthias hissed, pitching his voice low so they would not attract attention. “Alpha Draven,” Killian drawled in th
“I don’t know,” he grumbled, dropping his head on to her shoulder. “God! I shouldn’t do this again, it was bad enough the last two times. What does it mean for us if we do this again?” Raine’s knees trembled terribly in the presence of the alpha’s need. She’d promised herself to stay away, to avoid falling into this man’s arms once again. She didn’t think she had it in her to keep lying to herself and Ronan. But what she had with Matthias was so good, it was a pull like no other. They were inevitable, pushed together by forces neither of them could control. Who was she to fight her base instincts if this was the man it pushed her to? No one would have to know. It was a big house. She and Matthias were adults. And once she was formally joined back with Ronan and they were ordained as mates, she would put an end to whatever this was with Matthias. It seemed like a solid enough plan. She just had to be careful. She and Matthias could do whatever they wanted till then. Satiate this
Matthias groaned above her, one hand reaching down to grab a fistful of her hair. He pushed her head closer down his length, and Raine moaned, fear and excitement curling in her belly as she let him rough handle her, pushing her down until the head of his cock hit the back of her throat, and her nose was buried into his pubic hair, her mouth stretched impossibly wide over the base of his cock where his knot would form. “Fuck,” Matthias hissed, running a finger down her face. “You’re so beautiful like this. knees on the floor as you take my cock" Raine could only moan helplessly as the alpha pulled her hair hard enough to sting, and began fucking into her mouth like a beast. She wanted to cry out, but the sound came out muffled. His thick cock shuffled in and out of her like a jackhammer, pistoning down her throat until the only thing she could do was hold on to his thighs and wait for him to finish. Her eyes were closed tight as tears streamed down her face, his cock stretching
Was he not allowed to kiss her outside of sex? Raine cleared her throat, looking everywhere but at him. “So…uh… what’s the deal with Killian?” Matthias folded his arms across his chest. Her rejection stung, but he could understand. She was Ronan’s mate, after all. They weren’t even supposed to be sleeping together in the first place. If kissing was where she drew her line, Matthias would respect that and not be a big baby over it. He was more mature than this. So, he cleared his throat too and tried to focus on her question. “What do you mean?” “At the store, you didn’t seem like you liked him much,” she shrugged. “I honestly can’t tell why. He seemed like a nice person.” Nice was not a word Matthias thought he’d ever hear being used to describe Killian. He snorted. “You’ve met the man once.” “Yes, and it was a great first impression.” She shrugged again, reaching up to play with her hair. “I thought you went a little bit overboard with that whole protective alpha nonsense. H
Ronan turned then as if he could sense them. He met Matthias’s gaze, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Alpha Draven,” he called, loud enough for everyone present to hear. “How nice of you to finally join us. Did you enjoy your little outing while your pack burned?” Murmurs rippled through the crowd at his words, and even some of his soldiers stared at him with open animosity. Matthias stiffened, and Silas growled beside him. “How dare you talk to your alpha like that?” “I think I can talk to anyone as I damn well, please.” Ronan sneered, “I hold no respect to a man who was nowhere to be found while his pack was in danger. Do you even know what happened? Are you aware that your wolves have no food, no medicine, no weapons, no supplies? Do you even know what happened?” “Ronan…” Silas warned on a growl, but Ronan ignored him, staring straight at his father. “I’m the only one who stepped up.” He projected his voice so everyone could hear him. “You weren’t here, and Silas
Raine surprise melted into suspicion. Raine narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not stalking me, are you?” Killian smiled, dimpled and harmless. “You wound me, Raine.” He placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. “It is a coincidence. But, I will admit, rather shamefully, that I spotted you from across the street.” He pointed to the large glass window at the side of the library. One she had failed to notice, opposite it was a large strip mall with a diner at the side. “I was running errands with my sister.” His sister, Selene Voss. Raine remembered her from the night of her and Ronan’s joining. Standing in the shadows, right at Ronan’s side, her eyes cold and unfeeling as she’d watched Raine being dragged away. Her stomach turned, and her mouth soured. She glanced around, scared that the woman would pop out from a corner at any second. “She’s not here, is she?” “Selene?” Killian cocked an eyebrow, cataloguing her reaction. “She’s gone. I told her I wanted to come over and say hi.
Raine ventured into town by herself later in the day. After what happened in his room that morning, Raine wasn’t sure she was ready to face Matthias yet. So she’d avoided him as best as she could, even managing to slip out of the house without him noticing. She was proud of herself, even if she was a bit disappointed. A part of her had been hoping she’d run into him again, and maybe he’d insist on driving her again. But that wasn’t the case. The pack house was quiet once again, so Raine assumed the men had all converged for another one of their pack meetings. Matthias always got shifty and uncomfortable whenever she asked about it, so she stopped. Goddess knew she wasn’t going to get any information about it from Ronan, and she didn’t think Silas liked her much, so he was a no no. She told herself, as she climbed into one of the pack cars and started the engine, that if no one in the house wanted to tell her anything about what was going on in the pack, then she’d decided that s
For the next two or so weeks, Raine spent her nights in Matthias’s room. Ever since that first night at the study, Raine had found herself returning back there over and over again. And like he could read her mind, Matthias was there to meet her. It was dirty, elicit, and so very, very dangerous. Raine loved every minute of it. After a while, she stopped going back to Ronan’s bed once they were done. Mostly because Ronan was barely home anyways, and because Matthias’s bed was just right there. She woke up that morning, sore and aching in the best way. She stretched out, yawning loudly as her muscles popped. The bed beside her was empty but still warm, meaning Matthias had just left the bed. The shower came on in the bathroom, and Raine found herself smiling, burying her face into his pillows and taking his scent deep. She was happy. Her wolf was calm. She was having mind blowingly great sex every night, and she was happy. Raine was actually happy. After a while, the shower cut of
They had on matching outfits—a crisp white shirt tucked into severely ironed slacks. Both of their shirts were splashed with blood, Selene even had some smeared on her cheek. She noticed Ronan first and smiled wide, bouncing across the room to fling herself into his arms. Ronan let her, wrapping his hands around her slim waist. “Oh honey, look at you.” She pulled back a bit, running a hand down his face, “You look like you got a visit from death.” “I got decked by my dad, then got pumped full of wolfsbane so I’d sleep through the whole 2 days” He muttered dryly. “I take it that our plan was carried out successfully?” Killian asked, he had his back turned, rummaging in a drawer for something. “Is that why your old man decked you?” Selene asked, brows furrowing, “Cuz it’s part of your plan? And why wasn’t I informed of this plan?” Ronan leaned forward to kiss her softly on the lips, ignoring the sharp stench of blood on her. “It’s all rough work, nothing to worry yourself about
This time, Matthias lost his shit before her. It seems everyone is intentionally getting on his fucking nerve. “And what would you have had me do?” He roared, flinging his arm out and crashing everything on the mantle place to the floor. Raine gasped, flinching away in fear. “Let him tear my pack in half? Do you know what that would mean? It would mean war. Right now, this pack is on the precipice of chaos. One wrong move from me and it all goes down in flames.” He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “Do you understand why I don’t particularly care about your anger?” Raine blinked up at him, her chest heaving with each breath. “You’re hurting me, Matthias.” He winced and let her go, moving all the way across the room to me away from her. Raine watched him as he ran one shaky hand through his hair. This was the most un-composed she’d ever seen him. He looked like he was on the verge of falling apart. “I apologize.” He said, his voice hoarse and quiet.
“We have to contain this before it spreads,” Matthias said, breaking the silence finally. “Right now, Malte is locked in his quarters, as well as the other accused wolves. But that’s not going to hold for long.” He turned back around, meeting his son’s gaze. “We have to figure out what to do with him, and fast.” “What do you have in mind?” Silas asked, watching him closely. “Matthias pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose, rubbing at the ache there. “I just need concrete proof. If Malte’s men are innocent, we’ll clear their names, as well as his. And if he’s guilty…” Silas watched him trail off, “The pack will demand for blood, Father.” He spoke with sympathy. “Are you ready to deal with that?” Matthias didn’t answer right away. Part of him held on to the hope that all of this was just one big misunderstanding, and that it would all sort itself out if he just gave it time. But he knew things didn’t work like that. There was no easy solution, no path that didn’t lead to c
A gasp rippled through the crowd, their murmurs growing louder with each second. Matthias took a step forward, refusing to let himself be undermined in the presence of his pack by both his son, and his general. “Watch yourself, General.” Malte did not back down. He never did, he was a stubborn old crow. “Watch myself? I’ve fought beside you for years, Matthias. Giving you the best of what I had to offer. I have never given you a reason to doubt my loyalty. And yet I see you hesitate while your son spins lies and destroys the pack from within, accusing my best men for a crime they had no hand in.” He gestured broadly at his gathered soldiers. Thalia stared at her alpha as well, her eyes filled with molten hate. “How much longer until you realize that your son will drag this pack to ruin?!” Thalia called, her voice sharp like the crack of a whip in the quiet. Ronan snarled, pushing forward to attack, but Malte was there, staring him down. “You will let them talk to me this way, Fat
“I don’t trust him.” She spoke warily, picking each word carefully. “I just think maybe you should place the needs of the pack above any personal vendettas you might have with the Voss.” “Are you telling me how to do my job?” Matthias growled, his voice low and deadly. Raine swallowed, stepping back into the counter, her scent souring with fear. She opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, the back door swung open with a bang, and a female beta soldier ran in, panting and frantic. “Alpha Draven...” she panted, chest heaving with each panicked breath. “A fight…the pack square. General Malte and Ronan. I think he’s going to kill him.” The square was chaos. By the time Matthias arrived, the place was a bloodbath. Almost every wolf in the pack was gathered, the crowd dense and tight as everyone yelled one thing or another at the spectacle going on before them. The air reeked of blood and sweat as he forced his way through the throng of bodies. The screams fr
Raine came to his room in the dead of the night. But unlike that night many weeks ago, she was completely sober. It was sometime after one a.m., and Matthias was in the bathroom, head thrown back under the spray of the shower, reminiscing about the day’s events and letting the warm water soothe his aches. The shower door slid open a moment later, and Matthias turned to find her there. Naked and as beautiful as the first time he saw her. She had her hair up in a messy bun, some tendrils managed to escape and fell around her face in soft willowy wisps, framing her features and bringing out her eyes. He stared at her, shocked. “What are you doing here?”She shrugged a shoulder, “Ronan’s asleep. It’s been a tense couple of days for you, I figured you wouldn’t mind some stress relieve.” She bit down on her lip. “Am I being too forward?”“What? No.” He sputtered, “Never!” She sent him a small, shy smile that went straight through him and he stepped back a little, making space for her in