Shifters of Shadow Falls Collection (Books 1-3) (4 page)

Chapter 7: Ari

My knees weaken and I feel a force overwhelm my body, wanting me to bow to him.  To lower my head to the ground and expose my neck.  I drop my stare and fall to my knees, but I don’t bow.  I won’t.  The pull is so strong that it makes me feel sick to my stomach, but I refuse it.

“What is it with you and dogs?”  He practically sneers the words.  “Do you not like them?”

I shake my head, my eyes focused on his shoes.

“Speak!”  I jolt at his command and fresh hot tears run down my cheeks. 

“No,” a shaky breath leaves me, “I love dogs.”  I gasp for air and finally relent to the urge and bow to him.  I rest my cheek on the floor with my forearms braced on either side of my head.

He immediately lifts me off the floor and pulls me into his chest, his hand cradling my head. 

“You don’t need to bow to me, Ariana.  Please don’t.”  I sob into his chest.  Desperate for skin to skin contact I move my hand under his shirt and up his back, clinging to his tight powerful body.  I don’t know why I need it, but I do.

“I’m sorry sweetheart.  I don’t like that you compare yourself to a dog.”  His hand not cradling my head runs soothingly up and down my back.  He kisses my hair and I melt at his touch.  I struggle to take a normal breath, but at least my sobs have stopped.  I concentrate on deep breaths as he speaks.

“You’re in heat.  As in your cycle.  You’re ovulating sweetheart.  That’s why you feel like this.”  I feel the rumble of his chest as he speaks and I push my body against it.  Loving the way the vibration feels on my skin.  I’ve ovulated before and this is nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced.  The need to brush my body against his is nearly intolerable.  My entire being is pulsing with a desire to touch him and be touched by him. 

I lick my lips and stare at his throat.  There’s dark stubble all the way down to his Adam’s apple.  I have the urge to lick him and nip at his throat.  I stir, trying to alleviate some of the hot ache in my core and I feel his stiff thick cock under my ass.  Fuck, he’s huge.  The image of him fucking me on his desk riding me hard.  I moan.  Yes, I want him to ride me hard.  I give into the temptation and leave a hot open mouthed kiss on his throat.  My teeth pinch his skin and I pull back before letting go, knowing I’ll leave a mark.  Devin groans as I lean back to admire my mark.  I breathe heavily, my chest rising and falling with deep motions. 

“Fuck, Ariana, I’m trying to be good for you.”  My hooded gaze searches his face.  His eyes are closed and his head’s tipped back with his mouth parted.  So fucking sexy.  I part my legs to straddle him and grind my hot sex against his cock.  The move makes my clit throb.  I put my elbows on his shoulders and spear my fingers through his messy hair.  I jerk his head to the side by fisting his hair to the right and bite his neck again.  The move makes his dick jump below me and it hits my sensitive clit.  I moan, letting the hot air tickle his throat. 

“Please.”  I don’t know what I’m begging for, but I feel a sudden urge to beg him.  All I know is that I need him.  He can make this right.  I take his bottom lip in my mouth and nibble it.  His eyes open and his heated gaze is so intense I startle. 

“You want me to fuck you Ariana?”  He breathes his words although it comes out as a statement not a question.  I hesitantly give a small nod.  His fingers dig into the flesh of my hips and he lifts me up quickly, throwing my body onto the desk so that I land on my back with my legs spread as he stands between them.  The zipper of his jeans digs into my pussy and it makes me moan.

“I told you to speak when I ask you a question.”  His voice is dripping with danger as he takes a step back and backhands my clit through my jeans. 
Fuck! 
A fire ignites so hot in my core that my head thrashes and my limbs shake from the intensity. 
Yes!

As I come down from the overwhelming sensation I realize he’s ripping my jeans from my body.  Literally ripping them off of me. 
So fucking hot!

Before the torn clothing even hits the floor his tongue is on me. 
Yes!
His stubble scratches my inner thighs and it’s even better than I imagined.  Feeling his hot, wet mouth on my pussy is quite literally a dream come true.  I arch my back on the desk and push myself into his face.  He growls in approval into my heat, fisting my ass to angle me so he can fuck me with his tongue.  The sound and feel of him makes me clench and I instantly feel a loss without him deeper inside me.  I
need
him.  He groans into my pussy lapping up my arousal. 

“Please.”  I beg him again.  He continues his assault, but the sound of his zipper gives me hope.  I wriggle on the desk, needing more.  My body is impatient.  I squeeze my breasts in my hands in effort to find release.  It’s hopeless.  My head thrashes from side to side.  I need him now. 

“Please!”  I scream as tears pool in my eyes.  I need my release.  I can’t stand the torture any longer.  My body is shaking and on edge.  He moves from between my legs and hovers over my body while wiping my glistening arousal from his mouth with the back of his hand.  His lips are swollen and his silver gaze portrays his desperation to be inside me. 

“You need me to fuck you Ariana?”  I don’t hesitate in my answer.

“Yes!  I need you.”  As soon as the last word leaves my lips his hands grab my hips and pull me to the edge of the desk while he pounds into me to the hilt without a hint of mercy or shame.  I struggle beneath him to accommodate his massive size, the slight pain from being stretched slowly eases as he moves inside of me. 

“Fuck yes.”  He growls at the ceiling with his eyes closed and his mouth parted.  He doesn’t stop his steady pace.  His head slowly drops and he opens his eyes to find mine.  It’s then that I notice his fangs and the hunger in his silver gaze.  He is the epitome of power and lust.  In this moment I am only his.  I want nothing more than to bow down to him and give him every pleasure possible.  My heart feels weak and raw.  He has complete control of it.  Sheer terror jolts through my body freezing my hot blood.  But in a flash, it’s gone, leaving the heat to scorch my sensitive skin.  

My head drops to the desk and my eyes roll back from the intense pleasure radiating through my body.  With one hand still on my hip and the other now wrapped around my throat he picks up his pace and pistons into me with a primal need.  My pussy clenches and my wetness drips around his cock, clinging to my thighs.  That sound of him pounding into my pussy adds to my need to cum.  I tremble as a numbness rises from the tips of my fingers and toes.  Threatening to overwhelm my body.  I part my lips to beg for my release, but as I do he squeezes tighter around my throat and hammers into me. 

“Come for me.”  His words are my undoing and I shatter beneath him.  I shatter
for
him. 

Chapter 8: Ari

He leaves me for a moment and my body immediately notices his absence.  I lift my head just enough to see him enter what looks to be a bathroom on the far side of the expansive office.  As the aftershocks of my orgasm settle, my mind finally feels as though it’s clearing.  Like it’s waking up from a fog.  The realization of what just happens hits me with a force that makes me want to throw up. 

This is why they took us. 

My head starts frantically shaking in denial.  Shame immediately removes any sense of pleasure remaining from our bout of passion.  They intend to use our bodies for their pleasure.  No.  I continue to shake my head, covering my eyes with my hands.

Hot tears leak from the corner of my eyes.  I couldn’t even help myself.  I
wanted
him to use me.  Will I be like that around all of the other werewolves?  Their very presence is a drug.  I sob into my hands.  I don’t want to be their whore.  Even if my body is begging for their touch.  I feel like a disgrace.  I don’t want to be just a piece of ass available to them whenever they want.  I want more from life.  I
need
more.  I won’t settle on being the pack slut.  I push away my sadness as anger replaces it with a fierce need. 

Lizie. 

Fuck!  I need to get to her.  I need to get us out of here. 

I push my body off the desk and land on my bare feet.  Half naked with his cum leaking down my inner thigh I sprint to the door.  My shirt barely hangs to my ass, but I don’t care.  I need to get out of here.  I
won’t
be their whore.   My limbs shake, but I run as fast as I can. 

I make it to the door as he exits the bathroom and curses under his breath, “Fuck.” 

I open the door and scream, “Lizie!”  Adrenaline courses through my blood.  There’s no way I’m going to make it.  I’m going to fail her. 
I already have.
  As I run down the empty hall I scream again for her.  I don’t make it more than a few feet before I hear the heavy thuds of men running towards me in both directions.  I stumble and start to fall in an attempt to freeze. 
I’m trapped. 
My eyes dart to a door on my left, but before I can open it Devin grabs me from behind, making me scream, lifting my feet off the floor and spinning me around so that his back is to whoever just ran into the hallway. 

“What the-” a baritone voice starts but Devin cuts him off as I push against his hold and squirm in his hold. 

“Leave us.”  His hard voice echoes in the hall and I hear the sound of footsteps practically running in the opposite direction.  His arms are wrapped too tightly for my strength to make any difference.  But I refuse to give up.  I slam my elbow as hard as I can into his face. 

“Fuck!”

It hurts him or shocks him enough that he drops me and I land hard on my ass; my palms hit the ground so hard the radiating pain makes me think I broke my wrist, but at least I didn’t smack my head on the floor.  I scramble, trying to get to my knees as the tears cloud my vision and my body gives out.  I look up to see Lev staring back wide-eyed at me at the end off the hall with his mouth gaped.

Devin’s hand grabs the nape of my neck so forcefully I scream as he lifts me off the floor with one arm.  “I said leave!”  He screams at Lev with rage vibrating off the walls.  I whimper in his grasp as he pulls me into his arms, wrapping one arm around my waist with the other hand still firm at my nape, fingers digging into my throat.  Instinctively, my hands fly up and try to pry his fingers off as I feel him cutting off my breath. 

“Calm down sweetheart,” his gentle words against my ear are at odds with his grip on me.  But my body obeys him.  My hands fall away from my throat, even as I start to see white spots dance in my vision.  He loosens his grip, but doesn’t remove his hold.  My body may be willing to listen to him, but my mind isn’t. 

Chapter 9: Devin

What the fuck happened?  I leave for one fucking minute and she bolts?  Rage courses through me, but outwardly I’m doing my best to remain calm.  I have to stay composed for my mate.  My mate who doesn’t even want me.  I’ll be damned if that thought doesn’t hit me like a fucking bullet to my chest.  My wolf doesn’t like it either.  My pride is wounded.  The only solace I have is that she’s letting me hold her.  Ariana’s finally settling in my arms.  At least her body is.  I can see it in her eyes that she’s resisting me and I don’t fucking like it.  I haven’t spoken to her yet.  I’m still trying to rein in my resentment that she ran right after I gave myself to her.  How could she not feel our connection?  How could she deny how perfect it was?   

“Maybe you shouldn’t have fucked her the second you got her in the house.”  Lev’s words ring in my head.  I grit my teeth and try to keep my irritation from showing.  After all, Ariana can’t hear him.  I don’t want her to think my annoyance is with her. 

“Watch it Lev.”  I restrain a low growl from rumbling in my chest. 

“I’m just looking out for my big brother.  I really think it would have been better if you’d waited.”

“She’s in heat!  What the hell was I supposed to do?  Let her suffer?” 

I wait a moment for him to answer.  His silence pisses me off.  “She was barely coherent.”  I sneer the words in my head.  All the while staying relaxed on the surface for my Ariana.  Her body molds perfectly into mine.  I’ve witnessed the heat before, in my old pack.  I’m surprised it took me so long to realize that’s what was going on with her.  Especially with that sweet, intoxicating smell filling up the room.  My head just wasn’t right with her looking at me like I was a danger to her.  Like I was going to hurt her.  She shouldn’t feel like that around me.  With my touch though, she reacted like she should.  Thank fuck for that.  I look down at her in my arms as she cuddles against me with her eyes closed.  She’s so fucking beautiful and serene.  She’s right where she belongs.

“How about give her space?  The farther away she is from you the better she’ll be till the full moon.”

“Then I can claim her.”  The young wolf has a good point. 
Fuck.
  I really messed this up.  I’ll have to make it up to her, but how?  “She’ll still be in pain.  She needs touch to stay calm.”  The heat’s a bitch.  She’ll writhe in agony once it hits her again. 

“It won’t be
as
bad if you stay away from her.”  She shifts in my lap, nuzzling into my chest as her breathing evens out and deepens.  The thought of staying away from her makes the wolf in me whine in pain. 

“Easy for you to say.  I’ve waited a year to have her.  You haven’t even met your mate yet.  And the pull will only get stronger as the moon fills out.”  I keep petting her back to settle her.  “I should just explain everything to her.  Maybe that’ll put an end to whatever’s going on in her little head.”

“How do you think Lizie will react?”  Fuck.  Lev makes another good point.  My little brother has always been more logical than me.  Caleb and Dom aren’t ready to tell her.  And Lizie sure as shit isn’t in any condition to hear that news.  As alpha, their needs come before my own. 
But my mate.
  My heart hurts for her.  She doesn’t trust me or anything that she’s feeling.  For Christ’s sake, she thought I drugged her!

“You could let her go back to Lizie.  Caleb and Dom are going crazy.  She won’t come out of the bathroom and she’s crying again.  Something is really fucking wrong with her.  That’ll give your mate something to focus on.”

“Did you get their paperwork from Vince yet?”  The silence from Lev answers my question.  “He still isn’t back yet, is he?”  I clench my fists and scowl before I can catch myself.  Luckily, Ariana has fallen asleep on my chest.  I’m flooded with relief.  The last thing I need to do is to frighten her anymore.  As soon as she wakes up we need to have a talk about why she bolted. 

“Not yet.”

“When he gets back, I’m gonna kick his ass.”  Mother fucker can’t listen to orders for the life of him.  I know it has to do with finding his mate, but he could’ve waited until things were settled here.  “What about Caleb?”

“Haven’t heard from him yet.  He’s probably still packing up their stuff.”  I nod my head even though he can’t see me.  The smell of Ariana’s hair wafts towards me and I push my nose deeper into her to breathe her in.  She smells just like she tastes, like candied apples.  My mouth waters at the memory.

“You want some privacy alpha?”  I can hear Lev’s laugh.

“Fuck off.”  Even as I say it I smile.  I’ll get my mate’s worries worked out and then everything will be perfect. 

“Where do you want all of their shit when it gets here?” 

“I want it set up
exactly
as it was in their place.  Put it all in the east wing.”

“That’s weird.”  I shake my head.

“No, it’s smart.  They need comfort and privacy right now.  They want to go home so we’ll give them their home to run to.”

“That’s fucking crazy Dev.”

A low growl erupts from my chest causing Ariana to whimper. 
Fuck.
  I stroke her back and gently kiss her hair.  She calms in her sleep. 

“I’m surprised she’s bothered at all by your growl.  I could feel those vibes you threw at her.  It knocked Jude on his ass.”  I can hear him chuckle.

“Oh yeah, it didn’t get to you too?”  I know it fucking did.  It took everything in me to get her to bow.  The moment she did though I regretted it.  She’s my equal.  I shouldn’t have let my anger get the best of me.

“Course it did.  But I stopped doing my laps and bowed like a wolf.  Jude fucking dropped like a pussy.”  I chuckle and the movement wakes Ariana.  At first she’s content and almost nuzzles back into me.  But then her eyes open wider and she stiffens.  

Damn it.  This isn’t how finding your mate is supposed to work. 

“Well your mate is human.”  I purse my lips at Lev’s words.  I run my fingers through Ariana’s hair and she melts back into me. 

I sigh heavily, loving the added weight of her on my chest.  This would be so much better if she were a shifter.  So much easier if she knew what to expect.  If Ariana had witnessed a heat first hand, maybe she would’ve recognized it.  At least her body recognizes me as her mate.  That’s more than I can say for Dom and Caleb’s mate.