Far From Innocent (27 page)

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Far From Innocent

“I doubt you’ll do much sleeping,” he whispered into her ear.

Erin didn’t care that everyone watched them. She ran her hands up his chest. He hadn’t come earlier out of consideration for her. But he didn’t seem to mind at all that she teased him now.

“I’ll go easy on you then, wolf man, so I don’t wear you out.”

He growled, and Dante and Josie laughed. Erin didn’t turn around to see how her littermates handled her open flirting with her mate. Obviously Juan didn’t care that they watched either. He lowered his head, brushing his lips over hers, but kept his eyes open, pinning her with his stare.

“I encourage you to get as rough and wild as you can, little bitch.” He nipped at her lower lip. “If you dare.”

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“You don’t have to go, you know.” Juan stripped out of his sweats and stepped into the hot shower.

Erin stared at his hard, muscular ass before it disappeared behind the shower curtain. She licked her lips, glancing at the bathroom mirror, which quickly steamed over.

“You know I can’t sit here while my littermate fights in a challenge where all die but one.” Just saying the words made her stomach churn.

In less than an hour, the challenge would begin. The week had flown. Arranging her new den and running with Juan, enjoying time alone and also working alongside him with the pack had made each day fly. Now, before the day was out, their pack would officially have a pack leader.

“Dimitri will win.” Juan seemed to read her thoughts.

“He better.” Sometimes she hated pack traditions and laws.

It was ridiculous to fight just to show who was strongest, fastest and the most cunning. They would do just that though. The more she thought about it, the more her stomach churned. She hurried out of the bathroom, knowing Juan wouldn’t understand the smells coming off her. He was a werewolf, just like the rest of them, believing the strongest prevailed.

And it was true. The weak never survived.

“Please don’t die, Dimitri,” she whispered, closing her eyes and searching for that strength she knew was inside her too.

It had to be the coldest day so far that year. Erin stuffed her hands into her brand new down jacket that matched the one Juan wore. They’d bought them in town earlier that week, both of them hearing they were in for a nasty winter. This climate would take some getting used to because it was barely autumn and already Erin’s teeth chattered. She couldn’t wait to release the change inside her just so she could warm up.

But for now, she’d cuddle next to her mate and watch the challenge. They reached the designated area for the fight, a flat meadow surrounded by deadly-looking cliffs.

Rather appropriate, Erin thought to herself. The pale gray sky matched the color of the rocks around them. Already adrenaline and testosterone sparked in the air. Every den showed up for the challenge, and dens sat huddled on large rocks while several cubs ran around among them, their tails sticking out under their clothes. The emotions filling the air confused the small children, and they didn’t know whether to be in their fur or skin.

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“There’s Nicolo,” Erin pointed out, nodding toward her littermate who stood by himself, watching a group of werewolves involved in a heated discussion across the meadow.

“You may ask him to join us.” Juan had stiffened the moment they walked into the meadow, his nature changing, hardening, while some more carnal side to him surfaced.

“I’ll be over there with Dante and Moira.”

The challenge hadn’t even started yet and already the anticipation of blood in the air had every werewolf in the meadow tense.

Erin nodded, huddling under the thickness of her coat as she headed across the tall grass toward her littermate.

“Are you nervous?” Tonya asked, falling into stride alongside her. The bitch’s black leggings accentuated her long, slender legs. The black leather jacket she wore had to be for looks because it couldn’t possibly be doing much to keep her warm against the biting cold air.

“Don’t talk to me about being nervous.” Her breath clouded in front of her face as she glanced at the pretty bitch, whose expression immediately softened.

“I would be too,” Tonya said quietly. “Everyone thinks Dimitri will win. He’s definitely the biggest and strongest werewolf in the challenge.”

Tonya looked over toward where the werewolves stood and almost drooled. Erin shook her head. If Dimitri even knew Tonya was alive, Erin hadn’t seen any sign of it.

“I’ll just be glad when it’s over.” There wasn’t any reason to lie to the bitch.

“We all will be.” Tonya looked like she would say something else. Instead she stared past Erin, and not toward Dimitri. Slowly she raised a finger. “Look,” she whispered.

Erin followed where Tonya pointed with her gaze. Up in the cliffs, slowly descending on them, were a handful of
lunewulfs
. It seemed everyone in the meadow noticed them at the same time. She’d almost reached Nicolo and ran the last few paces until she was at his side.

“Nicolo,” she cried, just as Tonya ran up behind her and grabbed her arm. The bitch was such a dramatist.

“I see. Where is your mate?”

“He sent me to bring you to stand with us.”

A cold wind seemed to rattle the heavy gray sky above them and a mist started falling. Within a minute, moisture coated her hair and face. She squinted through the growing group of werewolves and then turned to her littermate.

He met her gaze. “We’ll go stand with them.”

Nicolo held out his arm, turning both bitches around and escorting them to the edge of the meadow. The group of werewolves primed for the challenge had turned their attention toward the
lunewulfs
.

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Erin watched the blond males, athletic in build but not as muscular as a Malta werewolf, maneuver around the rocks until they were almost to the meadow. Dimitri moved ahead of the group of males lined up for the challenge. Her littermate was a natural at taking command.

She shifted her gaze quickly when Juan and Dante moved toward the
lunewulfs
.

Erin picked up her pace. It was one thing living with the knowledge that her littermate would enter a fight to the death today. She wouldn’t have her mate risking his life as well.

Nicolo grabbed her arm when they’d curved around the end of the meadow and headed toward the large rocks where Moira and the other bitches from their den still sat.

“Take Tonya and go sit with the bitches,” Nicolo instructed her.

“Don’t you dare all start fighting.” She wouldn’t be able to handle it. Her scent told her oldest littermate as much.

“Do as you’re told, little bitch,” he said softly. “We’re just going to go find out what they are doing here.”

Erin glanced again at the approaching
lunewulfs
and stopped, grabbing Nicolo’s arm.

“It’s their pack leader,” she told him.

Nicolo squinted through the mist that threatened to turn into freezing drizzle. He exhaled and his breath pooled into a small cloud in front of his face.

“They are here for the challenge,” he predicted.

“Why would they be here for that? This is a Malta werewolf affair.”

“Stay here.” Nicolo pushed her toward the other bitches and took off to join Dimitri and the others.

“I don’t like this,” Moira said in form of greeting when Erin and Tonya joined her, Rosa and Maria.

Erin moved to stand on the other side of Moira, leaving Tonya to give Rosa a rather disdainful look. Sizing her up as possible competition for the single werewolves in the pack, more than likely.

“Can you tell why they’re here?” Erin asked.

Moira turned and stared at her, searching Erin’s expression and inhaling quietly as if using all senses to gather the meaning of Erin’s question.

“There are too many werewolves around for me to narrow in on just them,” she answered truthfully, almost whispering.

Erin noticed Rosa glance toward them. She wasn’t sure if the bitch overheard them or not.

Erin whispered, “They can’t be allowed to interfere with the challenge.”

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Moira nodded, her head barely moving. “We won’t let them,” she answered, whispering just as quietly.

Erin turned her attention to the werewolves. Moira understood that Erin meant they could use their gifts to stop the
lunewulfs
if needed. The terms of the challenge were that the gift was not to be used during the fighting. No one had said anything about preventing werewolves from disturbing the challenge.

As if he’d been part of the conversation, Dante turned, pulling his attention from the other werewolves and piercing them with a condemning glare. Erin tossed her hair over her shoulder. Let the werewolf glare at his mate if he wanted. Erin didn’t answer to him.

Her fingers got wet and cold touching her mist-damp hair. She blew on them, puffing out a cloud with her breath, and turned to see Rosa and Moira also looking toward Dante. Rosa looked her way first and rolled her eyes. Moira glanced from one of them to the other.

Moira glanced back at Tonya, who huddled next to Maria and sat on a large rock.

The older bitch had offered to share her patchwork blanket and Tonya had willingly slid underneath it with her. Moira met Rosa’s searching expression and then turned her attention to Erin.

“Does the threat of leashes and collars bother either one of you?” she asked, a conspiratory edge in her tone. Amusement clung to the mist around them, giving it a citrus smell.

“Nope,” Erin and Rosa said at the same time.

Erin usually didn’t envy other werewolves in her pack who had more of the gift than she did. And she didn’t now. There seemed to be a fair amount of nonverbal communication going on though, and she wished to hell she knew what they were thinking. The citrusy smell around them strengthened.

Moira looked at Erin, quickly suppressing a grin. “Dante warned me in my mind to keep all of us from using our gifts or we’d be wearing collars and leashes. So, my dear, clear your thoughts, focus on the challenge, but if any of those
lunewulfs
start any trouble, I think we owe them a bit of fun.”

“I can make the rocks move.” Erin’s heart pounded. She fought to keep her excitement down. It was bad enough the challenge was about to start and her littermate would kill or be killed. But new emotions attacked as well. Bonding with another bitch, confiding in what she could do with her gift—this was new territory.

“Not unless they start trouble,” Moira said.

“Right.” Erin tingled inside, nervous energy forcing the hairs on her arms to stand up straight against her sweater and coat.

She turned her attention to the werewolves, spotting Dante saying something to Juan. She watched her mate turn in her direction and then head their way. With his down coat, he looked even more thick-chested and broad-shouldered than usual. His legs were muscular and long. Erin didn’t know if it was the way his thick black hair 147

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caught the breeze and lifted around his face, or the intent way he looked at her that stole her breath. But her heart forgot to beat.

“I smell mischief all over you,” he growled, walking to her and lifting her into his arms.

Juan placed her on a large boulder behind them and leaned next to her. He slid his hand underneath her coat and sweater, and his damp hand touching her back sent chills rushing through her suddenly overheated body.

“Does it turn you on?” she teased, twisting her body and nipping at his chin.

His growl caused a quick, hard pattering session in her chest.

“Do you want to know why the
lunewulfs
are here?” he asked while running a finger along her jawbone and then lower, down her neck before hooking it at the collar of her sweater.

His palm rested dangerously close to the swell of her breasts.

“You know I do,” she told him, watching the mist get caught in lashes that almost hooded his dark, penetrating gaze.

“Their pack leader claims an interest since we are neighboring territories. He requests the right to honor the new leader once he’s claimed his title.” Juan let go of the top of her sweater and brushed his palm over one breast then dropped his hand and squeezed her thigh. “I also think they want to watch a good fight.”

His last comment brought her pause. Just knowing that many would find

entertainment in the deadly battle they were about to witness made her gut churn.

Sometimes werewolves could be so damned barbaric.

Dante yelled for everyone’s attention, and she jumped. Juan quickly wrapped both arms around her, almost pulling her onto his lap.

“Malta werewolves!” he shouted, walking into the middle of the field and turning slowly, addressing the crowd surrounding him.

A hush fell over the field. Even the drizzle slowed to a mist as if the elements also respected him.

“For five long years we’ve wandered without a territory, hunted on land we couldn’t claim as our own and traveled continually, searching for a home for our dens.”

His voice boomed off the cliffs surrounding them, adding to the intensity of his words.

“It has been a long struggle, and one that has now come to an end. We are home.”

Werewolves surrounding him leaned against rocks, stood at attention with arms crossed or huddled with loved ones. Nods of agreement and more than one comment acknowledging the accuracy of his words interrupted his speech. Dante paused, searching their faces, and glanced her direction for only a moment before continuing.

“Today we follow tradition as it has been passed down for centuries. All werewolves run with their pack. And every pack has one leader. With this challenge, our leader will show his strength, shed his blood and sweat. He will allow all of us to see that he will fight to the death for us, defend us and lead us.”

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The tension climaxed in the air. Emotions ran strong among all of them and more than one werewolf shouted his blessing toward his choice for victor. Erin turned, acknowledging those who yelled Dimitri’s name.