Wolfe's Mate
Authors: Caryn Moya Block
| Wolfe's Mate |
| Siberian Volkov Pack [7] |
| Caryn Moya Block |
| (2014) |
When her brother accidentally turns her into a lycan, Esme Fortescue struggles to find her balance. Now, while her brother desperately attempts to return her humanity, her lycan heartmate seduces her in her dreams.
Jared Wolfe has waited six months before claiming his mate due to the death of his parents and becoming the new Alpha of the Quebec Province. When Esme is in an accident and her brother disappears, Jared decides he can’t wait to claim her any longer. But will Esme consent to leave Europe and can his newly changed mate handle the new Alpha?
Published by Caryn M. Block
Copyright © 2014 Caryn M. Block
Cover Design by Cora Graphics
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Siberian Volkov Romance
Book Seven
When her brother accidentally turns her into a lycan, Esme Fortescue struggles to find her balance. Now, while her brother desperately attempts to return her humanity, her lycan heartmate seduces her in her dreams.
Jared Wolfe has waited six months before claiming his mate due to the death of his parents and becoming the new Alpha of the Quebec Province. When Esme is in an accident and her brother disappears, Jared decides he can’t wait to claim her any longer. But will Esme consent to leave and can his newly changed mate handle the new Alpha?
Thanks go to Paula Scott Luddy, Judith Dreyer, and Patty Moya for being the best Beta readers an author could ask for. Thanks also to B. R. Asher and Fran Cecere for their wonderful critiques. To my husband, thank you for putting up with late nights and wild rants, and for your support on days when I’m chained to my computer. Finally, thanks go to Bette Hileman for her editing expertise.
S
he heard
him
calling, his voice insistent in her mind. The dream of her last family vacation wavered and melted until she stood in a different place—a room she’d never seen except when he invaded her dreams. The walls, paneled in dark wood, faded away if she stared at them too hard. In the center of the room sat a large bed with a coverlet and square, green and brown pillows. Low lighting came from candles in sconces hung on the walls.
Esme
…
The sound of her name vibrated through her body.
She looked down at her chest. The golden thread of the lycan mating bond glowed softly. Her gaze followed its yellow light and she turned to find him standing in a doorway. The golden heartmate bond tied to his heart. Seeing him, she forgot to breathe.
B
road shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist. Blue eyes stared into hers as an errant lock of black hair fell across his forehead. His possessive gaze caressed her face, making her feel as if he looked into her very soul. Then he smiled and stepped closer. Her heart pounded harder. She wasn’t sure whether she felt excited or alarmed.
Breathe,
mon coeur. You always forget to breathe.
His f
ingers tangled in her hair before he brushed the mass of brown curls off her shoulders. Then, his hand settled on the nape of her neck and drew her forward until her body lay smooth against his. He was solid against her softness, his touch confident as if he knew her secret desires. His heat sank into her body, relaxing further inhibitions.
P
ressed to his chest, her hand felt the increased beating of his heart. His desire pushed hard against her thigh, and she melted. Knowing she was wanted by this gorgeous creature, something wholly feminine within her woke up and unfurled.
He
lowered his head, and she lifted her face to capture his lips, needing to meet him halfway. He touched her softly at first, tenderly, as if savoring her. Then, his kiss grew more insistent. His tongue rubbed along her lips, demanding entrance. Surrendering, she sighed, and he swooped in, coaxing and tasting.
His strong arms surrounded her, drawing her up on her tiptoes. She wrapped her arms around his neck
, holding him tight. He continued kissing her, his head bent down to get the right angle. He teased and licked, and she answered him, nipping his bottom lip.
He moaned
and a thrill of excitement ran up her spine. This man belonged to her, as she belonged to him. Here in the darkness of the night, he came to cement his claim.
She ran her fingers up his neck into his silky black hair, holding his head
close to hers.
His fragrance
of forests and wild things whispered to her senses. She breathed him into her lungs, letting his essence fill her. They were connected, heart and mind, and she longed for the day when they would be connected body to body.
“Esme, wake up.
” Her brother Norris banged on the bedroom door. “You didn’t hear the alarm again this morning. We need to get to the lab. Esme, did you hear me?”
Esme
Fortescue moaned before rolling over to stare at the ceiling. She felt as if her consciousness emerged from a pit of quicksand. Dreams about her heartmate had been coming more often. Her body ached, wanting him. If she could go back to sleep, would she find her dream lover again? Would she remember his face? Sometimes she saw him clearly, and other times he seemed to disappear into the mists of her subconscious.
M
ore banging came on the door. She grimaced. “I’m coming Norris. Give me a few minutes to get dressed.”
“Hurry up. I want to run a few more tests
and draw more of your blood before Laurel and Susan come to the lab. There has to be a way to make you human again.”
“Laurel told you that the change was permanent.”
Why can’t you accept me as I am?
Unlike her brother, h
er lycan heartmate seemed to like everything about her. He often whispered how beautiful he found her.
“I never meant for y
ou to turn into an animal, Esme,” Norris insisted.
“If I can accept it, why can’t you? At least
, you cured my cancer.”
She was never good enough for Norris
.
“I know there
’s a way to fix this. Hurry, I’m sure I’m close to finding a cure.”
A cure.
Esme shook her head and rolled from the bed.
Why wouldn’t he listen? She didn’t want to be cured.
Staring at herself in the mirror over the bureau, she
began brushing her long dark hair. She liked what she saw. As a lycan, her body seemed more healthy and vibrant, her senses more attuned to the world around her. She could smell coffee brewing at the corner market and hear conversations at the train station three blocks away. What was wrong with being a wolf-shifter? All the lycans she met were good and loyal friends.
They
’d invited her to be a part of their pack, their family. Being able to shift her form gave her added strength and agility, not to mention good health. Running as a wolf made her feel more alive than she’d ever been.
H
er brother, however, continued to look at her wolf as a freak, something to be cured of. Shifting was okay for lycans who were born that way, but not his little sister. Instead of celebrating finding a way to cure her cancer, he blamed himself for using lycan DNA in her bone-marrow transplant.
The first time
she turned into a wolf, she and Norris were both terrified. Now that she knew how to control her shifting and wolf tendencies, she liked the freedom shifting gave her. Being lycan also gave her a heartmate. She didn’t know what Norris might do when her lycan mate showed up to claim her.
Jared.
You never say my name,
Jared sent through the cord of light that connected them, heart-to-heart and mind-to-mind. Warmth wrapped around her with the telepathic touch of the man who was her mate.
Sometimes, I
’m afraid you are a dream, a figment of my imagination,
she sent back.
Your imagination is very good
. Wait until I arrive, and you see the reality of your mate.
You already take my breath
away. When we meet in person, I may faint.
I’ll be sure to catch you
, ma petite louve.
When will you come? The weather is starting to turn.
She wasn’t certain how long she could hold Norris off. Would Jared still want her if her brother turned her back into a human?
Of course
, I would still want you. But, in truth, it’s better if you stay a lycan. My pack will accept you more willingly if you can shift. Ask Asena’s handmaiden to help you with your brother. She needs to know his true emotions about lycans.
I feel
as if I’m betraying him. He worked hard to save me from cancer.
That is true
, and I will be forever grateful. However, you are a lycan now, and the safety of our race comes above all else. You will be an Alpha’s mate. You must abide by our laws.
Jared, I can’t think of this n
ow. I need to get ready to depart. Leave my thoughts. I need some privacy.
I have waited months to hear you think my nam
e, and you do so to send me away?
Just for a little while
. Please, Jared.
As you wish
, mon coeur. You only have to reach for me, and I will be there.
The Eng
lish Alpha acquired a small home for Esme and Norris to use when they came to England to work on the lycan breeding difficulties. It was beautiful with extensive grounds, a luxury her wolf appreciated. The ride into London took a little more than forty minutes. Pierre, their lycan driver, came with them from the Paris pack.
Pierre handed Esme into the car. “I hope you aren’t too unco
mfortable in this old limo, Mademoiselle. The Paris pack kept it stored in one of its garages for years.”
“It
’s fine, Pierre, as long as it takes us where we need to be.”
“No worries
there.”
Esme missed France
and the manor home where she’d grown up. She’d wanted to stay in Paris and become part of the lycan pack there. Norris refused to leave her to her own devices, especially with, Doctors for a Better Humanity, an underground group of fanatics trying to create the perfect human specimen, was still interested in her brother’s work.
As
she rode in the car toward London, Esme read a book. Since getting cancer, reading had been the one constant in her life. She’d read every book she could get her hands on, fiction and non-fiction alike, soaking up facts and stories like a sponge. Reading was her escape, her sanctuary.
Today she
read
Silence of the Wolf
. She knew that spending time reading romance novels irritated Norris. But she liked tales of finding the perfect person and falling in love.
Jared was her perfect person
. The lycan heartmate bond proved it although she knew little about him. Would he love her when he met the real woman instead of the dream image?
“Laurel said something about
moving permanently to London. Do you think you could be happy here?”
Esme looked up in surprise. Norris was asking her opinion on something? “I like Laurel and Susan very much
,” Esme answered. “They suggested that I might help with research in the lab or take a class at the university. However, I would hate to give up our ancestral home.” Of course, when Jared came to claim her, she would make her home with him.
“What class would you take
at the university? It would have to be a day class. You need to be home by nightfall.”
“Norris, I’m tw
enty-one now. I’m no longer a child. I’ve learned to control my shifting, and there’s no risk I will be discovered. I’m both faster and stronger than the average human male.”
“You didn’t answer my question. What class would you
take?”
“Truthfully, I’m not sure. I’d have to start with basic classes. Officially register and all of that.”
“I suppose furthering your education would be a good course of action,” Norris grudgingly admitted. “Now that you’re of age, I can tell you, our parents left a trust fund for you. You could take some of that money for education.”
“Who do I need to contact about this trust fund?”
“Do you remember Monsieur Boulanger? He’s the lawyer in charge of our parents’ estate.”
“Isn’t he the older gentleman that
Father used to invite over to play chess?”
“Yes, I
believe they kept a game going between them. I have his number at the house. You can contact him, and we will set up an appointment. Of course, it will mean taking the Eurostar to Paris.”
Esme would much rather meet with Monsieur
Boulanger without her brother. She wanted to have some control over her life. After her parents died in a car accident six years ago, Norris had been in charge. Wresting control away from him was going to be difficult.
Luckily
, when Norris worked in the lab, he often forgot what was going on in the outside world. Esme was left alone to handle things. She would call Monsieur Boulanger this evening. Make a day-trip to Paris. Visit with Josephine and the rest of the Paris pack at the Café de Luna Bleu. It would be fun.
S
till musing about her future, she returned to her book. A sudden sense of danger permeated her being. She looked up. What was the matter?
Bam
, a truck slammed into them. The whole car lurched to the left. She jerked sideways. “Norris!” she screamed. Glass flew through the air. The seat belt bit into her body.
Oh, my God.
Esme fell, her arms over her head. The sound of screeching brakes and blaring horns hurt her ears. The smell of antifreeze and oil burned her nostrils. The door next to her crumpled, pushed toward her. Something sliced her leg.
As quickly as
the accident happened, it was over. The door next to Norris opened and someone undid his seat belt and helped him out. Esme lifted her head from the seat where she landed. “Norris?”
She could hear Jared calling to her
telepathically in her mind. Everything seemed far away. The pounding of her heart was the only thing she could hear clearly.
Thank goodness
, help came so quickly. Suddenly, everything seemed to get loud. Pierre moaned and struggled to get out of the vehicle. She could hear people yelling and horns honking. She shuddered. Her head hurt and her leg ached.
Strong hands reached for her seat belt. “It’s al
l right, Esme. I’ve got you.”
Sh
e looked up into a pair of golden eyes. She didn’t know the voice, but she smelled the familiar scent of a lycan. The man unfastened her seat belt and picked her up, easing her out the side door.
“
Oww, everything hurts. It’s cold. Where is Norris?”