Those scattered tines of hair that were just a touch too long at the front, fell over his eyes and I combed them back with my fingers, while I stroked his chest and arms with my other hand, waiting for him to be ready.
But to my surprise, he didn’t groan and press me into the mattress, but sat back on his heels between my bent knees, his hands roaming every inch of my chest, stomach, legs as he followed their progress with his eyes.
‘You’re so fucking beautiful, Natalie.’ And his eyes told the story and that it was truth. He was drinking in the sight of me, praising me with his gaze.
‘Come closer,’ I urged him, reaching for him. B
~ NATALIE ~A happy sob broke in my throat and I clawed into his back with my fingernails. Mack raised his head, arching his back again to find me deeper and my jaw dropped.Then he muttered, “hold on!” and hooked his hands under my arms.Teeth gritted and muscles flexing, he sat back, pulling me with him until I was in his lap, sitting on his thighs, pressed down onto him and… holy shit.“Mack—” My body trembled and ached. I suddenly felt perched over him, unsteady.“I’ve got you, babe,” he rasped. “I’ve got you. Relax.”He stroked my back, held my hip, kissed me, and kept murmuring. Relax… rel
~ CARA ~Rig was loading drinks and clothes in the car when Natalie and Mack showed up looking like they had been at a rave all night--eyes bright and energy high, but there were dark circles under their eyes and I was pretty sure this was the first time I'd ever seen Natalie in a messy bun."Are you okay?" I murmured to her when she hugged me.She nodded as she pulled away, her eyes immediately finding Mack, who'd gone to talk to Rig at the back of the car.There was a tense moment when there was no movement that I could see through the windows of the car. It seemed like the two just stared at each other. But I guessed they were talking in the link.Then suddenly... nothing. Rig leaned down to pick up his bag,
~ CARA ~Rig held my eyes without a hint of doubt. “She’s my mate. She’ll be their Luna. She’s coming—”“And if they’ve got Sentries posted because they know we’re coming, and one of them gets overzealous and wants to bind us or something stupid? You really think you’ve got the control to watch them tie up your mate? Because Natalie knows how to fight, and I still thought twice about that—I still don’t know if I can handle it, Rig. Can you seriously tell me that you know you can?”Power and aggression wafted off Rig like heat, his body seemed to swell.It took my breath away to watch him just… get strong.I swallowed. “If we get tied
~ CARA ~The male’s eyes never left Rig. “So, you’re the one,” he said quietly, thoughtfully. “I’ll admit, when we heard you were coming, I expected… more.”I wanted to get offended, but I looked at Rig and he smiled a smile I’d never seen on his face before—the look he’d given when I first met him, the one that reminded me of a predator had its roots here. But this was far, far more dangerous.“Feel free to underestimate me,” Rig said with a sinister smile. “That will go well for you.”The male smiled casually. But before he could respond, Rig spoke again.“If you aren’t familiar with the language, I’m bringing a f
~ RIG ~I’d had hope at the beginning—it was a wolf’s way to taunt, to try to get an adversary off balance, and to use a pack to keep prey turning and uncertain. But their attention shifted too quickly to anticipate.The male in front of me had completely dismissed Cara which was offensive. But then his friend huffed, his eyes raking down her form appreciatively, and the wolf inside my skin snapped.They felt it, how closely my beast shivered beneath my skin, and they were confused. Instinctively they flinched, but it was too late.“Eyes. Off. My. Mate,” I snarled.
~ RIG ~I stood there, stunned—and truly apprehensive for the first time. No wonder they hadn’t wanted to hear from me. No wonder they thought I was trying to deceive them.Instinctively I flared my nostrils, trying to pull in his scent, but it danced away—the breeze was low this deep in the forest, but it ran to his advantage.So that’s why he’d kept his distance? To hide his Alpha state? But why? I was on his turf—he should have wanted to own every inch of my breach, his body responding to the offense of it, his scent rising so I’d catch it.Why was he keeping his distance—still? What didn’t he want me to know about him? He was strong, but… if I was reading him right, I was stronger.
~ RIG ~“Who?” Ezekiel spat.I narrowed my eyes. “The true Alpha.” I threw a hand wide towards the trees around us and one of the guards flinched. “Why is he hiding? Is he a coward? What is it you think I’m going to—”“You came to us, Rig. You made the challenge. You want to challenge for dominance? Well, here I am.”I shook my head. “I call bullshit. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but—” I raised my voice and turned my head, so anyone within earshot would be certain to hear. “I’m here, asshole! Stand up and face the challenge, or abandon your pack to me like the fucking coward you are.”Ezekiel st
~ RIG ~“What the…? What the fffff…?” My head was spinning, literally.I was vaguely aware of Cara behind me, her heart slamming, her mind reaching for mine with a dozen wordless, urgent questions, but I couldn’t think straight to even begin to parse it out.Stephen.My brother, Stephen.The intended Alpha.The one Dad was supposed to have killed.“What the—”“I know this is a shock,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine, but swimming with compassion, the way they always had—there were even hints of