Christmas Three (2 page)

“You could’ve come to us differently. You didn’t have to do it in this way and put our mate in danger,” Alex snarled.

Vanity laughed unhappily. “No, you are both unwilling to lead. You live in this sanctuary you’ve created, standing on the sidelines, taking no side while the rest of us suffer.”

Even though she was scared, Tempest understood. No woman should have to be forced to end their pregnancy. She felt sorry for those women in the pack, felt her skin crawl at the thought of Vernon putting his hands on her.

“What are we going to do?” Tempest asked, looking at her mates. Surely Alex and Dominic wouldn’t let Vernon take her.

“We fight. We fucking kill him and let the pack pick a new leader,” Dominic snarled.

Vanity stood. “There are no Alphas in our men. You must be the ones to lead us. If not, this pack will be broken. Why do you think no one has left or challenged Vernon? Because it will be worse if we scatter; we’re a family.”

Tempest knew that this put Alex and Dominic in a position they never wanted to be in. She was going to have them all sit down and talk to come up with a plan, but a howl outside broke her thoughts.

“Vernon,” Dominic said.

“Seems he wasn’t too far away.
Let’s get this over with,” Alex said. “Tempest, you and Vanity stay behind us.”

She nodded and followed them outside. Vernon stood on their property naked and unashamed. It seemed the thought of having her made him aroused because she noticed his erection and the cocky grin on his face. Alex’s eyes flickered over him and Dominic growled low in the back of his throat.

“We’ve come for the female, Vanity,” Vernon said.

“Cut the bullshit, Vernon. You know from the time she crossed the threshold that Tempest offered her sanctuary,” Alex said.

“Then you know she is now the Beta and caregiver of this pack and she belongs to me,” Vernon grinned. “I’ll take good care of her.”

“That won’t be happening,” Dominic said. “Leave now or lose.”

“You challenged the laws?” Vernon snarled.

“We challenge you, Vernon. You brutalize your pack and force abortions on the females,” Alex said. “You take away the bond they have with their mates for your own personal needs. It is you who challenge the laws.”

“Are you willing to fight, to lead a pack, the two of you who wanted to live alone?” Vernon scoffed. “Please.” The one word was said with such sarcasm that Tempest bit her lip. Vernon turned his attention to her. “Save their lives, come to me willingly.”

Tempest raised her head. “I’d rather die with them than stand by your side or have you
touch
me. But that won’t happen because they’ll win.”

“How do you know?” he snapped

“Remember, I have the sight. I see you losing. Run away now, Vernon, because your end won’t be pretty.” She didn’t actually see anything; her visions came on their own accord. But Tempest saw that her words made an impact because his arousal went limp and flaccid between his legs. Dominic chuckled and Alex laughed outright.

“The day after Christmas we’ll fight on neutral ground between our land and yours,” Alex called out.
“In front of your pack.
Do you accept?”

“I’ll fight one of you, not both,” Vernon said. “Choose who will fight.”

Alex and Dominic looked at each other and then turned to Tempest and told her and Vanity to go back inside. Tempest did not want to, but she wanted Vernon off their property and she realized that if she put up a fight, the longer he would be there, so she turned to Vanity and took her hand and they both went inside, shutting the door behind them. Tempest stood with her ear to the door, listening, but only catching scraps of the conversation.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Dominic spoke up. “Let me do it.”

“No, he’ll expect that and try to use your anger against you,” Alex said. “I’ll do it.”

“You sure?”
Dominic asked. “I could do it.”

Alex nodded and looked at Vernon. “You’ll be fighting me, old man.”

Vernon growled at the insult. As wolves aged they became stronger, so to call him an old man made it seem as if he was unfit and weak. “I’ll tell you what. This old man will give you pups until the day of the fight to choose who I will kill. It sickens me to watch you fuss like women.”

“I’m sure given the opportunity, the women you call 'yours' would cut your balls off without hesitation,” Alex said mildly.

“You all heard it. We fight the day after Yule,” Vernon yelled, ignoring the taunt. He had three men with him who nodded and said nothing the entire time they were there. “Prepare to be my mate, Tempest. Everything you are will be mine,” he yelled louder, hoping Tempest would be able to hear him from inside.

Dominic snarled and shifted so quickly that his pants tore in the process. He leapt off the patio and hit the ground moving so quickly that he pinned Vernon to the ground. His lips peeled back in a snarl, showing his canines. It all could have ended at that moment but then their challenge, as leader, would be forfeit and others would come trying to claim Tempest and the pack. This had to play out the right way. If not, they would constantly be at war with rivals.

“You’ve made your point, Dominic,” Alex called.

With one last snarl, Dominic stepped off and Vernon scrambled to his feet. “You’ll pay for that, trust me.
Every last one of you.”

With that, he shifted and took off, the three men with him following behind. Dominic and Alex stood where they were, watching them run away until they were gone from sight and a low howl echoed through the night.

“He won’t play fair, you know this.” Dominic had shifted back and walked up the steps where Alex waited and Tempest pulled the door open just as he spoke.

“I know. We’ll keep an eye out for it,” Alex said mildly.

“I have no mate even though I’m with child,” Vanity was saying to Tempest, but stopped and looked at Dominic with open lust as he came through the door, eyeing every inch of his nude body.

It was time for Tempest to show her dominance. She stepped between Dominic and the lustful Vanity. “Take your eyes off, girl. They are both mine. Respect my house or I will drop you.”

It seemed the new role of Beta, along with her visions, gave her some new kind of power. Vanity’s eyes widened and she stumbled back against the wall, shivering once again. She tilted her head back exposing her neck to Tempest. Wolves showed submission by exposing their neck to the stronger wolf in a challenge. She’d seen it on nature shows and now she knew it worked the same way with wolf shifters as well.

She stared at the dirty waif of a woman. Beneath the limp, mud-caked hair, she could tell that she was a redhead. She had to be about six months pregnant, which is why Vernon would kill her to get rid of the child. No doctor would terminate a pregnancy that late in the game. She had to be beautiful beneath the layers of grime of a hard pack life with a cruel leader. Even so, her rules would be respected. This was her home and these were her mates.

“That’s my girl,” Alex kissed her as he passed by. “Feed her and let her get cleaned up and we’ll fix up the downstairs bedroom for our new, if not unwanted, guest.”

Dominic kissed her cheek. “Besides, I like my women with more meat on their bones, and I’ve only got eyes for you.”

“You’d better. Maybe I need to be shown later.” Tempest chuckled. She held out her hand to Vanity. “Come on, little troublemaker. Let’s get you fed and cleaned up.”

One week before Christmas and all hell was breaking loose in their little slice of heaven. She wondered if this was going to become a holiday normality to have trouble at their door. She wouldn’t worry about Vernon and the impending fight until it was time. Right now she had Christmas magic to make for her mates. This was their first Christmas together and it wasn’t going to be ruined by anyone.

3

Chapter Two

“Is she all settled in?” Dominic asked from their shared bed when she walked into the room. She noticed that he was completely and gloriously nude.

“Yes, it took a while for me to convince her that Vernon would not break in to get her,” Tempest said. “Where’s Alex?”

“I’m right here.” He stood at the bedroom door wiping his hands on a dish towel. “I was outside making sure the house is secure, and I put a little surprise outside the window of the bedroom Vanity is in. Just in case Vernon or anyone he controls gets any ideas.”

“What kind of trap?” Tempest asked curiously.

He made an interlocking motion with his hands and made a loud snapping sound.

Tempest winced. “Ouch. I did notice that the three with him seemed to be almost power hungry right along with him and enjoyed his cruelty.”

“There’s always a few who decide that to join in with the devil is the way to go,” Dominic murmured. “They are a variable that will need to be taken care of.”

“Do you mean kill them?”
Tempest gulped and her stomach rolled. “Can’t we just chase them off?”

“Honey, that is not how it works in a wolf pack and in the laws,” Alex said gently.

“Don’t sugarcoat it,” Dominic snapped. “Reality is a bitch in this world we live in. She signed on to be our mate, hiding her from the truth is not an option.” Dominic left the bed and came over to her and took her by the shoulder and turned her to face him. His eyes and face were so dark it could rival storm clouds.

“Tempest, they are going to die. That’s the truth. Vernon and those who follow him will be killed. You cannot allow dissention in a pack; the bond that ties the wolves together would be corrupted and rot. The pack would then be in chaos and no one would thrive. The children wouldn’t know the right way, the correct way. If we let them leave, it would give them a chance to close ranks and try again. The pack comes first and when we fight this fight, and if we win, their mental bond becomes ours. We never wanted this but it’s at our doorstep now.”

“You blame me for this,” she said through tight lips. “I let Vanity in and now you two have to accept a path you didn’t want. I saw this coming months ago and didn’t warn you. I didn’t know it was going to be this way; I didn’t understand the vision completely at the time. But I knew it was coming and it’s my fault.” Tempest felt hot tears fall from her cheeks.

“Oh, baby, don’t cry.” Dominic’s voice sounded like her tears literally hurt him. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry if I made it sound that way. In a way, Alex and I both knew that we would eventually have to pick a side, that some way, somehow, as much as we hid ourselves, a pack would find us.”

“But you don’t want this.” Tempest couldn’t stop her tears. She was scared, so very scared that she’d lose the men she loved. “Vernon won’t play by the rules. What if I end up losing both of you? They’d better kill me right then and there because nothing in my life will ever be right without you both by my side.”

Alex guided her to the bed and both men sat next to her, sandwiching her between their hot, hard bodies. “That’s never going to happen, baby. We love you and until this world stops spinning we’re going to love you. I’ll be damned if I let someone like Vernon or his mutts take me or Dominic away from you.”

“Show me. Show me that you’ll always be with me,” Tempest said and frantically pressed kisses on Dominic’s chest as she reached beside and slid her hand up Alex’s thigh to cup his cock through his jeans. It was the fear, the thought of losing them no matter the reassurance they gave her, that made her crazy to be loved by her men, her wolves.

“Vernon and his men are still out there. I should go stand guard.” Alex’s words were cut off by a moan as she stroked his hardening length.

“No, stay.
Let them hear us please each other. They can’t get between
love
like this. Every time I cry out your names or come in your arms it will let them know it’s only you that I want. Only Dom and Alex can make me feel this way.” She turned and pressed kisses onto Alex’s mouth until he fisted his hand in her hair and devoured her lips with such hunger, she was left breathless.

She felt both their hands touch and caress her, arousing and trailing fire in their wake. Her clothes were shed quickly because their hands worked in unison to free her from the cloth barriers. Alex’s hands were at her ass and he pulled her on top of his body, kneading her soft flesh. Tempest straddled him so she could rub against his erection still confined in his jeans. She moaned in pleasure at the sensation of the fabric against her naked snatch. She felt the heat of Dominic’s skin as he leaned over her and bit gently at the back of her neck. The positions of their bodies had her sandwiched between them and she loved it.

Alex reached between them to work at removing his pants. Dominic pulled her against him so her back was pressed against the hard muscles of his chest. He cupped her breasts, massaging them almost savagely and plucked the nipples to hardness. She gasped in delight and rubbed against the hardness of his body. Need made her skin tingle and her pussy throb as wetness pooled between her thighs. Alex was now gloriously naked and slipped out from underneath her and got on his knees facing her. Again, she was sandwiched between them. Alex covered her lips
with his own
and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She opened her mouth under the onslaught and his tongue slipped inside to taste her deeply. Dominic kissed his way down her back and placed tiny bites on her ass.

“I want to taste you,” Dominic muttered.

He got on his knees beside the bed and she turned and scooted until she was sitting at the edge of the bed. She opened her legs wide, beckoning him to taste her. His hands were on her hips and he pulled her down further until her pussy was on his mouth. She moaned as she felt Alex’s demanding kiss on her lips at the same time. He slipped his tongue deep into her mouth. She gave another small scream that was muffled by his lips. Dominic tasted her and sucked at her clit before fucking her with his tongue, pulling her down in a frenzied rhythm. She didn’t think that after being with them for as long as she had that they could find new ways to please her, but as she writhed sensually against Dominic’s seeking mouth and Alex’s fingers on her clit, Tempest thought she would die from the pleasure of it all. Alex cupped her exposed breasts and he fondled them with a hungry touch.

“Make her come, Dominic, until she screams,” Alex said in a voice harsh with desire. He licked her bottom lip and nibbled in gently.

“God, yes, baby. This feels so good,” she whispered.

Tempest moaned when he slowed and pressed his lips to her mound and licked her in that delicious, slow way until she shivered. He built her up slow and easy and then with a low guttural groan he pulled her against his mouth hard. He did it in a feverish repetition until she was calling his name and crying out as she came. The last wave of unadulterated pleasure made her scream.

Alex helped her lay back against the bed and she trembled as mini aftershocks coursed through her body. “I need one of you in my mouth.”

“God, Tempest, when you say things like that, I want to just take you hard,” Dominic said.

“Let me taste you first,” she purred.

Alex changed places with Dominic and got to his knees at the edge of the bed and propped her legs up on the end. “Your scent never ceases to make me want you more.”

She felt his mouth on her pussy and she moaned. Beside her, Tempest took Dominic’s cock in her hand and stroked it before taking it into her mouth. He threw his head back and his moan was almost a howl as she sucked him deep between her lips. As pleasure consumed her deeper, she sucked Dominic with more vigor. Alex’s tongue furrowed between the aroused thick lips of her pussy. With a guttural groan he spread her legs farther apart and tasted her with renewed intensity. Her hips rose and fell in repetition and each time she felt his tongue bury itself deep inside her, it sent a spark of pure heat through her body. The low guttural sounds that Dominic made while she licked and sucked at his cock spurned her on. He pulled away suddenly and kissed her before moving to her breasts and sucking each nipple deep into his mouth. She yearned to have them both, to feel them take her to the heights of passion.

“Both of your touches are driving me crazy.” Her head fell back and she closed her eyes. “Make me come, Alex. Stop the ache.”

“Beg me,” he growled. “Plead with me to make you come.”

“Oh, shit,” Dominic muttered.

This was a new side to Alex and there was a power about him that washed over her, making her gasp. Dominic must have felt it too because when she glanced from one man to the other, their eyes flashed yellow to the wolf that shared their body. Usually while they made love the wolf lay dormant. Maybe this was caused by the threat right outside their window but now their sexual gratification took on a primal edge.

Alex reached up and pinched her nipples. “Beg me, Beta, to fill your needs.”

Unable to resist, Tempest met his eyes. “Please, Alex, make me come. Take your fill of me.”

With a low growl, he again pressed his mouth against her pussy and she cried out. Tempest arched against the heat of his mouth and it felt so damn good, too good, until she couldn’t stand it and tried to push him away. Dominic pinned her hands above her head and kissed her until her head swam.
What is this?
her
mind screamed. She was being melted alive by the extreme new sensations they were creating. She wondered if she would survive this pleasure-filled onslaught by her wolves. Alex’s fingers spread the thick lips of her snatch so he could invade her deeper with his tongue. Tempest cried out and grabbed the sheets beneath her.

Her hips rose and fell and she grabbed his head, rocking back and forth against his mouth. The movement rubbed her clit against his tongue, making the sensation even more intense. She vaguely heard Dominic moan and it turned into a growl. His eyes were on her and Alex and just watching them seemed to turn him on all the more. Tempest reached out and stroked his cock while Alex ravaged her pussy. She called his name and arched her back as the sensations rocketed through her. Alex didn’t relent until she screamed as another orgasm sent her over the edge. She felt the tightening of her belly and each sensation seemed to combine into one whole entity that consumed her being.

Alex moved from his position between her legs and even as she lay weakly on the bed, she tried to clear her jumbled thoughts. They lay next to her, caressing her body, kissing her skin. When Alex kissed her, she could taste herself on his lips and tongue as he slipped it into her mouth.

“Take me now,” she said as Dominic’s fingers played with her wet snatch.

She was running on a pure aching want for her wolves. It was a palpable thing she could taste in the musk of their skin and it walked across her flesh leaving goose bumps in its wake. Alex lifted her across his body and brought her legs high round his waist. She felt the tip of his cock against her pussy and then, with a long, smooth thrust, he filled her to the hilt and she cried out.

“Ah, damn, Tempest, I love you so much.” His voice was harsh with pleasure.

Tempest couldn’t respond. She was trying to hold on to the last vestige of her sanity. He began to move with deep strokes and she all but died from the pleasure of it.

“Do you want more, Tempest? Do you want us to take you at the same time?” Dominic whispered in her ear. “Say you want me in your ass, while Alex takes your so very sweet snatch.”

“Yes, I need both of you, I love both of you,” she cried out.

She whimpered as Alex took her nipple between his lips and Dominic reached around to rub her clit with his thumb as the frenzy of his thrusts increased. Alex stopped suddenly as if knowing it was time for Dominic to join them. He moved, taking both of their bodies closer to the edge of the bed. Dominic had moved away and she knew he was making sure he was slick enough to slide into her easily. Alex had begun to move again, slowly teasing the walls of her pussy with his engorged cock.

She felt Dominic come up behind her. She reached back and stroked his slick cock until he groaned. Tempest tried to keep still as he entered her slowly, but her body trembled knowing the pleasure she was about to receive from the two men in her life. Her breasts were close to Alex’s mouth and he sucked on the nipples of each. His eyes were on her as she bit her lip and whimpered at the sensations his mouth was creating. She loved the feeling of both of them inside her. Dominic said her name almost reverently when he slid into her. She could feel both their hard bodies striving for restraint. Both men began to move, catching the
pistoning
rhythm that instantly made her tighten her grip on Alex’s shoulders.

“Oh, God, I can’t stand it!” Tempest cried out.

“Baby, yes,” Dominic said harshly.

“We love how you take us both.” Alex’s voice was practically a growl.

This was what she wanted each and every time they were together, but now it was something more. There were wolves outside threatening their lives, their happiness and the love that she and her mates shared. They would hear her pleasure and know that no one could compare, no one could rip them apart. That simple knowledge unleashed a new, frenzied passion within them all.

The intensity of their lovemaking consumed them. Alex cupped her breasts together so he could devour both her nipples. Each movement of their cocks inside her made her moan loudly, striving for fulfillment in every movement. Trapped between their bodies, she felt the pleasurable tightening knot of her orgasm building deep within herself. Their completion was almost simultaneous. Tempest screamed as she came and Dominic bit her shoulder and threw his head back with a harsh cry as he spilled his seed inside her. She looked down to see Alex grit his teeth and his neck arched with the intensity of his release. Dominic slid to the floor and she felt completely limp as aftershocks moved through her.