Dark Wolf: 1 (Spirit Wild) (27 page)

She felt his hesitation when he learned of those long, lonely years when she’d studied in England, traveling all over Europe, meeting people, learning languages and customs, and yet always alone. A pack animal without her pack.

And, within the power of the link, he knew those languages she spoke with ease. Accepted the impossible and knew it was the magic of their kind, that what she knew, he would know. What he had mastered, Annie would share in full.

But all of it wasn’t perfect. He saw how her visits home had grown farther apart. They’d been painful reminders that both she and Alex were growing older, both of them unmated, and yet the specter of his relationship with Lily was proof he would one day have his mate, and Annie was destined to go on alone.

Not anymore. Never alone again; never without Alex.

She had no idea how long they lay there in the dappled shadows. How long they shared memories, ideas, beliefs, and fears. Long after their bodies had relaxed and Alex had slipped free, they remained connected by their mating link. The bond was strong and true, and when Alex finally lifted his head and stared into Annie’s eyes, they shifted as one, lying there naked in the lush grass, mesmerized by the sharing that had changed each of them forever.

“You’re an amazing woman, Anne McClintock. A beautiful, intelligent, strong, amazing woman.” He rolled over on top of her, supported himself on his elbows, and looked into her eyes as if he saw her for the first time.

Maybe he did, because she knew she’d never seen Alex like this. She hadn’t understood the struggles he’d had finding his place within the pack. It wasn’t easy, the eldest son of the über-alpha’s second. So much expected of him at such a young age, when he’d only wanted to be a kid. And always the expectation that he and Lily would bond as mates, something they’d continued to deny. Then he’d grown and discovered he loved his work in research and development with Chanku Global Industries, but the job as pack liaison to the local sheriff’s department—originally designed more for public relations than an actual position—meant his career had been put on the back burner once the murders of the young women had been linked to both wolves and humans.

The deaths frustrated and angered him, and he took each one as a personal assault. The attack on Annie last night had just about put him over the top. Making love to her this morning had been the finest moment he’d ever known, at least until they mated, and he loved her so much it made her want to weep.

“I want to make love to you, Annie. Just the two of us, together in the forest. Mates, the way we’ll be for all time.” He smiled and nuzzled her neck before kissing her in that terribly sensitive spot he’d discovered behind her ear. “I love the sound of that. Mates. Damn. I do love you. So very much.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at that beloved face, and finally she believed. It wasn’t merely a dream. It wasn’t just a fantasy. This was Alex and he was real. She’d been inside his head, she’d felt the love in his heart, knew she was forever a part of his soul. The way he felt in her arms, in her heart, in her soul—all of it real. “Love me, Alex.”

He bent and twirled his tongue around her taut nipple before drawing it into his mouth. She cried out and then whimpered, undone by that simple caress, but before she could get herself under control, he cupped her left breast in his palm and drew her right nipple between his lips.

Her hips writhed beneath his weight, and she was so aware of the heavy length of him, of that huge, hot erection lying against her belly—close, but not where she wanted him. She lifted her hips, trying her best to trap him, but he wouldn’t allow it. Instead he kept up the steady kneading of her breast with his long, strong fingers, and the almost painful pressure around her nipple, using his lips, his tongue, and then his teeth. The firm, steady pressure of sharp teeth on the taut peak left her sobbing. Sobbing and needing, so aroused she trembled.

She slipped into his mind, shocked by how easy it was to read him now that the mating bond was complete. She shared her frustration, her need, and her almost painful arousal, swamping his mind with her impressions until he was every bit as inflamed, as turned on as she.

His eyes were blazing when he tilted his hips and thrust into her, filling her in one quick drive that took her to the edge and beyond. She’d never come so fast, never felt such intense passion, never wanted as much as she wanted now, with Alex. All of it, the beauty and the pain, the struggles they faced. She wanted it all, and she wanted it with this man.

Her man.

Blinking slowly, she gazed into his dark eyes and read the passion there and in the harsh lines of his beautiful face. “I love you,” she said, and it felt so good to say the words that she said them again. “I love you. I will always love you.”

He nodded, but he didn’t speak. Not aloud, not even in her mind. She realized his eyes were filled with tears and reached up to brush one from his cheek. “Alex?”

He drew a deep yet shaky breath. “This is more than I ever dreamed,” he said. His voice was hoarse, strained with emotion. She frowned when he shook his head and rested his forehead against hers. “Don’t tell Lily you made me cry. I’ll never live it down.”

“Never,” she said, but her heart soared. “I wouldn’t dream of blowing your cover.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “We do need to tell your folks about us. Your dad’s going to kill me.”

She giggled. This was the man she was used to. “Actually, I think we should tell Anton. He can tell my dad.”

Alex rolled off her, laughing. “That sounds like a plan, but it’s the coward’s way out.” He lay on his back beside her, turned, and gazed at her. “You’re thirty years old, Annie. I’m thirty-two. We’re not pups anymore, and while I appreciate the fact that Chanku young seem to take longer to mature, we are adults. I don’t intend to hide this from anyone, least of all your father. I love you. I’m so damned proud to be your mate, I want to scream it to the mountains.” He stood and held a hand out to her. “And I fully intend to tell your father. In person.”

Once she was standing, he kissed her forehead and chuckled softly. “But I’m not an idiot, either. I think what we need to do is ask your mom and dad to meet us at Anton and Keisha’s. I want my parents there, too, on neutral ground. We’ll tell them all at the same time, okay?”

Annie giggled. She couldn’t help herself. “Brilliant. He wouldn’t dare kill you with witnesses present.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

They shifted at precisely the same time, so in sync since the bonding that it was the most natural thing in the world to know what Alex was going to do next. He pulled her into his thoughts and contacted Anton first.

Alex wanted to laugh out loud.
You know, don’t you? How do you do that?

Annie added her thanks.
We want to tell our parents at the same time,
she said.

Anton’s laughter wasn’t unexpected.
The only witnesses will be your parents, Keisha, and me. Lily and Sebastian aren’t back from their visit with Eve on the astral. Come quickly. I expect this will be one of our more interesting dinner parties.

Annie glanced at Alex and caught the twinkle in her mate’s eyes. She was afraid their alpha might just be right.

 

Alex sat beside his father with Tinker on the far side of Stefan at Anton’s bar while the alpha poured drinks for all of them. Tinker hadn’t said much during dinner, especially when the women had been all over the two of them with congratulations, hugs, and kisses.

Now the four women—Keisha, Xandi, Lisa, and Annie—had headed off to town to shop for something special for Annie to wear when their mating was announced to the pack.

Alex didn’t like the fact they’d left the compound, especially since it was already after seven. Not with Aldo Xenakis back in town and rogue wolves about, but he figured he’d better get used to deferring to what his woman wanted—to a point. He took the cognac Anton handed him and caught his father’s steady gaze. “Congratulations, Alex. I think you’ve made a brilliant choice.” His dad held his glass out in a casual toast.

Alex touched his glass to Stefan’s. “Thank you. She’s pretty amazing, Dad.” Then he glanced at Tinker. “I do love your daughter, Tink. I promise I’ll be good to her, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy. Just knowing she loves me is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Damned straight you’ll be good to her.” He practically growled, but at least he smiled when he said it. Then he touched his glass to Alex’s.

Anton held up his glass. “My very best to both of you, Alex. Though, because of you, my wife has once again proved both your father and me wrong.”

Stefan chuckled and took a sip of his cognac. “I know. Include Xandi in that, too. She’s said all along that you and Annie would make a better pairing than you and Lily. How come we were the last ones to see this coming?”

Tinker shook his head and shot a grin at Alex. “Well, I sure as hell missed out on everything, but Lisa always says I’m the last to figure stuff out. So, what’s the plan now, son?”

Alex silently cringed at the unspoken challenge in that question. He swallowed down the short shot of Hennessy and set the glass on the bar. “The plan right now is to follow the women to town.” He stood up and shoved the bar stool back under the bar. “I know that Keisha, Lisa, and Xandi are a formidable team, but a couple of rogues tried to capture us last night, and I don’t feel comfortable with the women going into Kalispell without backup.”

Tinker studied him with a surprising show of respect. Then he nodded slowly, finished his drink, and set the glass on the bar. “Do you want company?”

“Yes, sir, I do. Dad? Anton? Interested in an evening shopping trip in town?”

Anton’s lip curled up in a grin. “The girls won’t like it.”

Alex looked him directly in the eye. No submission at all. Not this time. “Does that really matter?”

Anton shook his head and clapped Alex on the shoulder. “Not a bit. C’mon. We’ll take the Rover.”

 

Anton handed the keys to Alex and then rode shotgun. He wanted to sit where he could watch him, see how he continued to handle the situation, and he didn’t want to be distracted by either the need to drive or by sitting next to Stefan.

Besides, Stefan needed a little time to bond with Tinker. They were now forever linked through their children, and in spite of his inability to see this one coming, Anton had a good feeling about Alex and Annie as a pair.

They were going to add a strong dynamic to the pack. Alex was already impressing him with the confidence he’d shown today. He’d not only stood up to Tinker, but he’d not backed down in front of either his father or his pack alpha, which was a whole new side of Alex Aragat.

And, while Anton really hated admitting he’d been wrong all along, Lily and Sebastian were a much better match, just as Alex and Annie were absolutely perfect.

Alex floored it as soon as he hit the two-lane paved road that led to the highway, and the Rover practically flew. The women hadn’t left until after the men gathered in the bar, so they couldn’t be far ahead.

No.
Alex flashed him a stark look.
They’re in danger. I feel it. Annie’s terrified but she can’t mindspeak. Contact Keisha.

Anton hit a blank wall where his wife’s mind should be. “Stefan, Tink! Try and reach Lisa and Xandi. Ask them what’s going on. Quickly. Alex, what’s Annie saying?”

“Crap, Anton. Nothing. I think they’ve got her.” Alex slammed his foot down on the gas, and the Rover leapt forward.

Anton swung around in his seat and looked at Stefan and Tink. Both men stared at the road ahead, but they were shaking their heads.

“Nothing, Anton.” Stefan grabbed the back of Alex’s seat. “What the fuck’s going on?”

“Don’t know. I can’t reach Keisha. Alex got a quick sense of Annie’s fear, then nothing. Tinker?”

The big guy raised his head. Tears rolled down his dark cheeks. “I heard Lisa scream Annie’s name. Then nothing. Shit, Anton. Where the fuck are they?”

“Up ahead. I see the car. There. They’re in the ditch.” Alex swung the wheel to the right. Tinker leapt from the moving vehicle as Alex hit the brakes and parked over dark skid marks going off the road.

Anton, Stefan, and Alex reached the car as Tinker grabbed hold of the crumpled passenger door and tore it completely off. He tossed the thing aside as if it weighed nothing and went straight for his mate in the backseat.

Keisha was slumped over the steering wheel. Xandi lay half on top of her, trapped in her seat belt. Lisa was curled against the shattered window behind the driver’s seat, bleeding from a head wound.

There was no sign of Annie, but a chemical scent filled the air around the car.

Anton undid Xandi’s seat belt and handed her limp body to Stefan. “Get them out of here. Quick. They’ve been gassed, but I don’t know if it’s poisonous or just something to knock them out.” He freed Keisha, holding her close against his heart for a relieved prayer of thanks to the goddess. His mate still lived. He carried her to a small green area and laid her down.

Alex knelt to check his mother while his father and Tinker worked to free Lisa. “Dad? Mom’s coming around.” He stood and touched Anton’s shoulder. “I’m going after Annie. If Aldo Xenakis is behind this, I think I know where they’ve taken her.”