A Mate's Denial: (11 page)

The a
lpha smiled cruelly. “That’s sweet. But it isn’t good enough. I want proof. The Elders haven’t had a failed vision in a hundred and twenty years, and now you claim the prophecy that expelled you from the pack is false, and bring me news out of the kindness of your heart? I don’t buy it.”

Trager
straightened. “I bring you news with the hope that my family will be kept safe.”

“What family?”

Kerrigan watched Trager’s throat work as he swallowed. “My parents and my sister.”

“They’ve all disowned you. Even your sister, when she took Farrow as her mate. You have no family.
And you should get used to that feeling. The prophecy will hold, and you’ll be alone, for the rest of your existence. No mate, no young.”

She couldn’t look away from
Trager’s face. His jaw was locked tight, but his eyes blinked rapidly. He was hurt, she knew. He’d come here to help his sister, Farrow, and whoever else, but no one cared. All they could do was remind him he wasn’t wanted.

No mate, no young
. She realized what the alpha said. No young. No kids. No family.

Did
Trager want kids?

According to wolf-bitch
, people who couldn’t procreate were worthless to wolves. Kerrigan’s heart dropped. Would Trager think of her like that? Because kids weren’t in her future?
Their
future.

No, no, no. He couldn’
t. He was nothing like Ethan. Trager would never call her worthless.

“I think you should mark her now. Here, in front of the pack.”

Vesh’s gaze, suddenly furious, snapped to the alpha.

Trager
stiffened. “No.”

There was a collective gasp
, the crowd murmuring.

The alpha ran his narrowed gaze slowly over Kerrigan. It felt like being petted, but nothing was touching her. She wanted him to stop.

“She’s primed and ready. A public marking would prove to the pack that your mate accepts you. Perhaps… your family would reconsider. Perhaps they’d welcome you back.”

His family would respect him if he marked her. That’s what the alpha was saying, right. How b
ad could it be? A cut? Tattoo? A brand, like the one on the alpha’s chest?

“Do it,” she said.

Trager’s furious gaze snapped to her. He looked like he wanted to murder her. His hand flew to the back of her neck, pinching just hard enough to make her freeze. It didn’t hurt, but there was no doubt about his intentions. He was shutting her up. As an animal would.

He
r instinct was to shrug him off. No one told her when she could or could not talk. No one. But then she thought better of it.
Follow my lead
.

The alpha’s dark eyebrow arched. “Your mate approves. It’s settled then.”

“No. I won’t do it.
”

“I could make you,
” the alpha snarled.

Vesh
stepped forward. “Alpha, their bond has been tested. By both Avan and myself. I believe she’s his true mate.”

The alpha glared at
Vesh, then scanned the crowd. “Avan? This true?”

“Yes, Alpha.
She would’ve clawed my eyes out. And the wolf couldn’t even look on me.” Wolf-bitch.

The alpha crossed his arms, appearing thoughtful, before bringing his gaze back to
Trager. “You know what makes me a good alpha? Never trusting. Not even the word of two of my best guards. You’ll mark her, here, now, or I won’t listen to another word you say.” His eyes gleamed, wicked. “I want to see you fuck her against the wall.”

Fuck
her? Like…
fuck
her? In front of everyone? No, she hadn’t volunteered for that. She knew sex was involved but she thought he’d only meant the marking would be public. Whatever the hell that was.

Dear god. This was bad. She had to do something.

“There is a pack who wants to take your land,” Kerrigan blurted. Trager’s hold became tighter on her neck, but she ignored it. “We came to warn you because Trager didn’t want to see his family hurt. And I… I didn’t want to see him hurt. But quite frankly, you’re all pissing me off, and I couldn’t care less what the Ravendales do to you.”

The alpha’s mate jerked her head as if Kerrigan had slapped her. It was the first reaction she’d seen from the poor woman.

Slowly, the alpha turned on Kerrigan. “What did you say?” he hissed.

“The
Ravendales are coming for Ozarka,” Trager answered. “Cael wants revenge. You’ve been warned, now I’d like to take my mate and go.”

The alpha’s enraged gaze never wavered from Kerrigan. “No one leaves after dark.”

“See, thing is, you’re not my alpha. I’ll leave when I want to.”

In a flash, the alpha had both hands wrapped around
Trager’s neck, squeezing. Kerrigan screamed, but no one seemed to care. As if they witnessed their alpha choking people on a daily basis.

“You’ll leave at first light,” his voice shook with
barely-contained fury and raw power. “Or you won’t leave at all. Understand?”

Trager’s
eyes bulged, but he managed to nod.

The alpha held him a second longer before letting go.
Trager coughed and sputtered, trying to draw in breath.

“
Vesh,” the alpha barked, “Show them to a cabin. The rest of you, go home.” He spun, grabbing his mate roughly by the arm, and dragging her through the crowd.

Kerrigan reached for her wolf. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, and pulled her toward the door after Vesh.

Outside, the crowd was buzzing. People broke off in various directions, following the alpha’s orders, she assumed.

Vesh led them to a small single room cabin, and pushed the door open. “Have fun,” he said, distracted, and then set off into the woods without a second glance.

“Inside,”
Trager ordered.

The room was dark, but she found a lamp on the table and switched it on while
Trager locked the door.

“Shit,” he muttered, staring at the floor. “That went well.”

Kerrigan rubbed her arms, trying to stop the chill that wouldn’t leave her. She spied her suitcase and a duffle bag in the corner of the room, next to the fireplace.

Somehow she managed to mumble the question she was afraid to ask. “Will he let us go tomorrow?”

Trager stared at her. “He has no reason to keep us, and under the law, he can’t.”

Okay, then.

It was time for her and Trager to have a serious talk.

The alpha couldn’t hold them.
Trager hadn’t sworn allegiance to him. Not even as a child, since he’d been expelled before he was old enough. They just had to get through this night.

He watched his mate, judging her level o
f distress. She was scared. The scent was stronger than he’d ever smelled before. She was worried. Understandably. Everything she’d seen tonight had been disturbing. The thing with Vesh and Avan. The alpha’s dominance. The son-of-a-bitch’s demand that Trager mark her in public, like a dog.

He turned to the wall so she wouldn’t see how angry he was. She’d had enough of that for one night.

It was bad enough that the pack treated him like shit, but then to use his mate as a bargaining tool? To treat their joining as a public spectacle, not worthy of privacy. No. Fucking no. They wouldn’t lessen the experience. It would be done right, and when she was ready. If she was ever ready.

Her hand landed softly between his tense shoulder blades, causing him to flinch.

“Come lay down with me.” Her soft voice was peace for the storm that raged inside him.

“Can’t,” he ground out.

“Why?”

How could he explain? “My wolf… the urge to…
I need to…”

She must’ve understood what he was trying to say because she stepped back and pulled her shirt over her head. His eyes went directly to her breasts. Strands of her hair danced over the tops, as if they were kissing them for
Trager since he couldn’t.

“Not like this,” he choked out.

“Like what?”

“I’m wound too tight. I won’t be gentle. We need to wait.”

She unbuttoned her jeans, slid them down. “Are you denying me? According to everyone else, that’s
my
job.”

He looked away.

“You should’ve told me about that.”

He star
ed hard into her eyes. “I didn’t want you to know. I hate thinking about it. I don’t ever want you to deny me.” He hauled her close. “With us, I want it to always be yes, no matter what the question is.”

“Yes.”

“Can I have you now then? Even after everything that’s happened?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

“My wolf won’t wait. Not with you, like this. All I smell is you. All I want is you.
Damn
it
. I can’t think.”

“Take me,” she whispered against his ear.

The words derailed every thought process except one:
make her mine
.

Capturing her lips with
his own, he walked her backward toward the bed. He ripped the covers back. “Get in,” he commanded.

His shirt was off
in a flash. His pants followed them to the floor. His arousal stood tall and proud, more than ready for his mate.

Looking up, he found her staring.
Mmm. Wolf liked that.

Kneeling on the bed, he prowled up her body, running his nose along her thigh, and then using his tongue around her navel. Up and up, until he reached those perfect swells he was coming to love so much. Her nipples were already hardened,
peaking the lacey fabric. He nipped at them, earning a heavy moan.

He sat up, flipping her onto her belly. Oh, yes. He’d fill her like this, with her beautiful ass in the air. Wolf’s favorite
position, and her body was perfect for it.

Brushing her hair to the side, he kissed her shoulder. His hand slid down her back to the clasp of her bra. A flick of his finger
s had it loose. He brought her up on her knees, back against his chest, and palmed her breasts with both hands, teasing her nipples and wringing the most beautiful sounds from her mouth.

“You feel perfect, mate.
So perfect.”

He nipped
the delicate skin of her neck, his hands roaming lower, feeling her soft stomach. When they were done, he was going to lay his head there, and sleep.

Pushing her down again, he continued his trek south. His mate’s ass was fine and round. He placed a kiss on each cheek before taking her thin panties in his teeth and sliding them down.

When they had joined his clothes on the floor, he sat back and took in the sight, her luscious curves displayed for his pleasure. She watched him over her shoulder, her eyes as hungry as he felt.

This was it. No turning back now.

“On your hands and knees,” he husked.

Her moves were sultry as she complied. Hypnotic. What a sweet, sweet mate.

When she was bent and open for h
im, he had to take a moment to calm. The image of her softest spot, wet and ready for him, was something he’d never get enough of.

Can’t hurt her
.

He pressed his erection to her entrance, teasing, readying.

Sweat skimmed his temples as he tried to reign in his instincts. Fast, hard, now,
mine
.

“
Trager,
please
,” she whimpered.

“You’ll tell me if it hurts. Swear it.”

“Yes.”

He couldn’t wait a second longer. Fingers digging into her hips, he pushed into her tight, wet sheath. One slow stroke, and then he
showed his mate how a wolf laid claim.

Thrusting into her again and again, he spread her legs wider with his knee
so he could go even deeper. He bent his head to watch their joining, his wolf—his heart—overcome with joy. She fit him so perfectly. Like a glove.

She threw her head back. “Yes,” she whispered. “More.”

Leaning forward, he kissed her spine, the curve along her ribs that she’d once worried about, the dimple on her lower back. He held her close, pushing harder, faster. He reached around to touch her from the front, rubbing while he pumped.

He pressed his face into her neck, inhaling.
So beautiful. All his. Need to mark.

He teased the skin there with his teeth.
Mark her
. The urge was nearly unbearable.

Not yet. He couldn’t yet. Not until she was ready.

Kerrigan cried out, her orgasm ripping through her and gripping him so tightly, it was hard to keep thrusting. He slowed.

His mate’s orgasm…

His spine stiffened, everything tightening. He pumped once more and came apart above her.

So good.
So right. So perfect.

Trager
rolled them both to the side, maintaining their connection. He pressed his heated cheek to her back, breathing heavily, and feeling her labored breaths.

“
Trager?” Her voice was hoarse. He grinned against her skin.

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

***

Kerrigan sighed happily. She was wrapped in Trager’s arms, his head resting on her tummy. Like she was his own personal teddy bear. The idea made her giggle.

“What?” he murmured. Nothing moved except his lips.

“I didn’t know you’d be a cuddler.”

“Wolves are very affectionate.”
Still no movement.

She twirled her fingers in his hair. If it weren’t for being stuck in the wolf camp, she’d say this night had been pretty close to perfect. Okay, not so much the whole night.
Maybe just the last hour. The weight of their problems rushed back to her.

“Are you alright?” she asked
Trager.

He must’ve known what she was talking about because he lifted his head to stare at her.

“With everything that happened earlier?”

He nodded.

“We should talk,” she told him. “Just say everything that needs to be said. Get it all out in the open so it can’t hurt us anymore.”

His eyes roamed her face, his thumb brushing
her bottom lip. “I think you’re right.”

“Good.” Nerves fluttered in her belly. There was one very important question she had to ask him.
She needed to know how he felt about kids.

He leaned over her reaching for something on the floor. When he sat back, he was holding a folded piece of paper. “Let’s start with this.” He passed it to her. “Who is it?”

Kerrigan opened it to find one of the first shots she’d taken of her and Ethan as a couple. She stared at it, at Ethan. She recalled being happy that day, but Ethan looked like he’d rather eat raw squid. Why had she wasted so much time with him?

“I found it at your apartment.” His voice was flat, giving nothing away.

“His name is Ethan. He was my boyfriend.”

“When?”

She looked up. His jaw was tight, but he was trying to seem unaffected.

“A year ago.”

Trager crossed his arms, nodding to the photograph like it had offended him. “Why did you keep so many pictures of him?”

Damn. She’d walked right into this.
Trager, she wanted to know about Trager. She didn’t want to talk about the worst time of her life. But she owed it to him. She cared about him. He should know about Ethan.

Kerrigan sighed. “A year ago, Ethan died in an accident involving a motorcycle. I kept the pictures because… I felt like I should. Truth is
, we had a horrible relationship. He didn’t love me, treated me like I was trash, and stole the money right out of my bank accounts. He was making plans to leave when the accident happened. I found out about his lies afterward. I needed those pictures as a reminder. Of what can happen if you let your guard down.”

She kept her eyes glued to the blue flannel comforter over her legs.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Me too.”

“He didn’t deserve you.”

The side of her mouth lifted in a sad grin. “I know.” She tossed the picture on the floor. “Your turn. Tell me about this prophecy, and your dysfunctional family.”

She looked at him, expecting him to start talking, but his face was drawn and angry.

“What’s wrong?”

“I should’ve found you sooner. I’d have taken y
ou away from him before he had the chance to hurt you like that. I would’ve protected you.”

She crawled over to him, laying her head on his chest. “You can’t fight the dragons of my past.”

He took her chin, and brought her gaze to his. “I can damn well try.”

“You’re doing a fine job so far. Now tell me about your dragons.”

Trager sighed, leaning his head against the wall. “When I was twelve, the pack Elders had a vision that my future mate would reject me. Meaning, she… wouldn’t want me.” His voice grew thin. Kerrigan’s chest constricted. “I would end up alone and ultimately become a danger to the pack. Wolves who can’t mate sometimes go crazy.”

“Why can’t they mate?”

“Either they can’t find theirs or their mate isn’t interested. Wolves are driven by instinct. Mate, protect, procreate. It’s different for everybody, but if we can’t act on those instincts… it can eat away at us.”

“Oh.”

“So they decided to expel me. Send me out on my own. The entire pack disowned me except Gabby because she was too young, and Farrow. Now that’s changed, I suppose.”

Kerrigan was stunned.
Trager had been on his own since he was a child. He was abandoned by the people who should have loved him the most. By all accounts, he should be bitter and hard and cruel. Like the alpha. But he wasn’t. He was generous and loving and forgiving.

Why couldn’t they see how wonderful he was? Why was she the only one who could see it?

“I love you.” It came as a whisper, slipping from her lips before she could grasp it and shove it back down.

He froze. Every muscle locked tight in response. Her head, where it rested against his chest didn’t even move with a breath.

But she couldn’t take it back. It was true.

“Do you mean that?”
His voice was riddled with holes.

She sat up and looked him in the eyes. “I know it’s too soon. But you’re the best person I know, and if these people can
’t see that, then they’re not worth the land they crap on. Someone should tell you how amazing you are. Someone who loves you. Like me. I’m sorry it came out like that—“

She couldn’t finish because he pounced on her, crushing his mouth with his.

“Say it again,” he demanded.

“I love you.”

He kissed her again, his tongue dipping in to play with hers.

“I love you too, Kerri.” His words held so much conviction, they wrestled every doubt away.

Spreading her legs, he settled between them, his hardness against her opening.

“Wait, we aren’t finished talking…” Her words dropped off on a moan
as he slipped into her. Out again, and then in. The slowest rhythm rocking her body.

“It can wait until la
ter. Our bodies are talking now.” His hands roamed all over, finding places she didn’t even know were erotic until he touched them. “I for one, can’t think of a better method of communication.”