Challenged (21 page)

Ali naked in his bed as often as possible kept him busy while they maneuvered their

way down the narrow mountain road.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. No bitch had ever made him think of

setting up a den, staying in nights with her. Never had being with just one lady

appealed to him. Stone liked the variety, enjoyed experiencing different bitches in the

meadow.

So what the hell was this?

He ran his hand down her thigh and she wrapped her arm around his, letting out a

soft moan that hardened every muscle in his body.

She pressed her body against his side, her soft breasts torturing his thoughts,

making his blood boil. Adrenaline had too recently pumped through him, and still

lingered. It would be a hell of a lot more fun to tear her clothes from her body, and

make her scream while he pounded his cock inside her heat again and again. He’d

much rather do that right now than head out to some meadow and kill some lame

excuse for a werewolf. It seemed pointless to fight for something that was already his.

Pack law could be damned annoying at times.

No car could make it up to the clearing designated for the challenge. But half the

pack at least had parked at the base of the mountain. Just like werewolves to come out

of their dens for a challenge. At the top of the line of predators, werewolves thrived on

the kill. Even when it was one of their own, they wouldn’t miss the glory of a good

fight.

Stone parked the truck, getting out and then holding the door while Ali slid out on

his side. It hit him at that moment how quickly he trained her to do such a simple act.

An odd memory that hadn’t surfaced in years hit him.

“Passenger doors are for cubs,” his sire would say as he held his mate’s hand and

waited for her to slide out the driver’s side door.

Damn it. Already he was training Ali to be a mate just like his mother had been to

his sire. What the fuck was going on here?

“Stone.” Ali ran her fingers up his chest, and then leaned into him while wrapping

her hands behind his neck. “Don’t fight for me if you don’t love me.”

He looked down into those sultry blue eyes. Her large breasts pressed against his

muscles, fueling the energy that already pumped through him. He put his hands on her

ass, and shoved his hard cock against her.

“You know that I do,” he whispered, and then nipped at her lip.

“Then say it.” She pulled her head back, staring into his eyes.

“I love you.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever uttered those words.

Something broke inside him, like a dam releasing emotions that had been kept

secure and out of the way for years. The raw energy that went along with those

emotions coursed through him, making him feel lightheaded. It wasn’t a sensation he

was accustomed to. But try as he would to shove those feelings back into their safe

haven, they wouldn’t budge.

“God. Stone. I love you too, so much.” Her embrace tightened around his neck and

she stretched against him to kiss him.

Her mouth was so hot, so sweet. He wrapped his arms around her, impaling her

with his tongue, indifferent to the growing activity around them. Well-developed habits

wouldn’t allow him to tune the world out though. Always on the watch, the predator in

him made love to her mouth while noting the cars and trucks parking around them, the

sounds of werewolves arriving.

Heavy footsteps behind him had him breaking off the kiss.

“What the fuck is this?” Mickey Reginald demanded.

Stone took only a moment to stare down at Ali’s open mouth, her lips glossy with

moisture. Her eyes fluttered open. She’d surrendered completely to him, letting go of

her own natural instincts to protect herself. In his arms, she’d relaxed, and for a brief

moment looked dazed, while the smell of lust floated heavily in the air between them.

Stone turned around, instinctively putting himself between Mickey and Ali. She

stood blocked, with the still open truck door protecting her and his body concealing her

behind him.

“Would you rape her right here in the meadow with half the pack to witness it?”

Mickey lunged at him, the smell of beer drifting around him.

Stone sneered at the ugly Cariboo. “You can’t rape the willing,” he snarled.

Thick clouds overhead dimmed his vision, but Stone had years of fighting under his

belt. Mickey reached for him, ready to send him sprawling across the meadow.

Stone was ready for him though, and sent a quick punch to the side of the Cariboo’s

head.

Mickey stumbled backwards, letting out a howl. Ali dug her hands into Stone’s

back, lunging against him, her natural instinct to fight kicking in. With one hand he

kept her behind him, and braced himself for the Cariboo to gather his wits—what he had

of them.

“Our sires discussed our mating when we were cubs,” Mickey yelled, pointing at

Ali.

“That’s a damn shame.” Stone knew some of the dens still prearranged matings.

Gabe had gotten around it with Pamela. And he’d have no problem fighting to

ensure his right to Ali.

“You’re going down, Cariboo.” Mickey scowled, and came at him again.

“A challenge is only valid in your fur.” Tip Rochester appeared out of nowhere,

jumping in between the two werewolves.

“He can’t fuck her right here in front of the pack before a challenge,” Mickey

complained, his anger making the air so spicy that Stone about sneezed.

“I don’t want you, Mickey Reginald.” Ali fought to get around Stone so she could

be seen. “I belong to Stone.”

“There will be no mating without my approval,” Tip reminded her.

“Or mine,” Jonathan Bastien barked, pushing his way through the growing amount

of pack members who’d formed a circle around his truck.

Gabe and Pamela stood to the side, and Stone noticed Gabe already had the change

coursing through him, his shirt undone and too much hair on his body for a human.

Their closeness as twins would have the same energy for the kill coursing through

his littermate that coursed through Stone.

He returned his attention to the pack leader.

“I’ll fight him according to the tradition of the pack.” He peeled off his shirt, and

felt Ali take it from him without looking down at her.

Her gentle touch stroked his flesh, igniting nerve endings.

“I don’t approve of this challenge.” Jonathan Bastien scowled at all of them,

crossing his thick arms over his barrel chest. “Mickey, you turned out to be little better

than a bum. And Stone here is out of control. My Ali can’t control a Cariboo this wild.”

“I can too!” Ali jumped around Stone.

He grabbed her but at the same time Mickey leaped at her. Ali screamed, suddenly

realizing two giant Cariboo were about to land on top of her, and darted out of the way.

Stone pounded into Mickey, blood pumping through his veins, igniting the change in

him.

Mickey toppled backwards, and Stone reached to unsnap his jeans, the group of

excited werewolves around him quickly undressing as well.

“No one changes here in the parking lot.” Tip turned around, yelling at the pack.

“We head up to the clearing for the challenge.”

“Ali,” Jonathan barked at his daughter. “I will not approve your mating with him.”

“Actually, Jonathan, my mate scoured over the written law for me. Ali is of age. The

challenge will stand.” Tip’s words silenced the group.

Everyone turned their attention to Jonathan, who glared at the pack leader. “He’s

not a member of this pack,” Jonathan finally countered.

Tip stared at him a moment, and then turned to look at Stone.

“Make me a member of this pack.” Stone didn’t hesitate.

The surrounding pack members immediately broke out in quick chatter. He

ignored the lot of them. Tip looked at him hard, and then nodded after a moment.

“It’s done,” the pack leader announced.

Everyone moved quickly after that, turning to hurry up the mountain toward the

first clearing. Sounds of running water guided them to the spot.

Mickey broke out in his fur, excitement overtaking him, and split his pants right off

him. The Cariboo was a damned fool.

Stone turned to Ali, grabbing her in spite of the frustration he smelled from her

nearby sire. He ignored the older werewolf. There would be time enough later to get in

good with her den.

“Gabe.” He turned to his twin. “Keep her with you. Protect her until this is over.”

He met his brother’s gaze, the seriousness of his request understood in his twin.

Stone would fight to the kill. And he knew that in such a case, anything could happen.

He had no doubts about his abilities, had taken down plenty of werewolves in his time,

but wouldn’t be fool enough to get too cocky.

Gabe nodded, pulling Ali to him and putting his arm around her while Pamela held

on to the other side of him. “She’ll be safe,” he told Stone solemnly.

Pamela reached out and squeezed his arm, her hand cold and her nervousness

obvious. He winked at her, and then leaned forward and kissed Ali quickly.

“Be good,” he told her, not putting anything past the little spitfire.

And they accused him of being out of control.

Stone left them and sprinted up the rocky ground toward the clearing where many

of the pack had already dropped to their fur. Stripping out of his pants, he tossed them

to the side.

There was no need to even beckon the change. Fire rushed through his veins,

roaring through him with an aggressiveness he didn’t even try to control. Muscles

bulged throughout him while bones popped, distorting and growing, hardening and

reshaping until he dropped to all fours.

The night air took on different smells, while his vision changed, everything coming

into better focus in the night. Cariboo lunewulves danced around him, their energy

fueling the adrenaline that coursed through him.

Only one of them had his attention though. Through the crowd, one Cariboo began

running toward him, maneuvering his way around the pack members, building speed