Mating Rights (8 page)

Mali nodded.

“I’ll take you all
there so there’s no confusion,” Jaxon said. “After that, you’re on your own.
You’ll find many will try to entice you with free wares, hoping for favors once
the festival starts. Don’t fall for a pretty face or fat wallet.”

“Aye, daddy Jaxon,”
Kimber said with a laugh.

Jaxon glowered.

Mali swallowed, feeling
flustered by the activity around her. Despite the coolness of the night, she
felt hot all over—almost to the point of sweating.
Nerves
. “This isn’t
the festival?”

Jaxon flashed his white
teeth in a wolfish grin. His eyes seemed lit by an inner fire. “It starts with
the burning of the wolf—tonight—the first night of the full moon. By the third
night you’ll be claimed…in one way or another.”

Adolpho lumbered to the
back of the wagon to offload their belongings. “Don’t worry, girls. Jaxon just
wants to scare you,” he said, giving Jaxon a look.

Jaxon laughed wickedly,
making the hairs rise on the back of Mali’s neck. Obviously he enjoyed their
discomfort. Or maybe it was only her and Kimber. The other women seemed
ecstatic, if their shaking hands and jumping around were any indication.
Angelica stood with her brood, flipping her brown hair and eyeing every man on
the street like a prime piece of beef.

Jaxon watched the group
of women for a moment before turning on his heel. “Follow me,” he said over his
shoulder.

The downstairs of the
inn held a bar, and tables filled with drinking patrons. Jaxon nodded to a tall
redheaded man seated in a cubby near a wide hearth.
Mali
felt like she was on display as they crossed the busy room to the curved
staircase. She quickened her step, ready to find a quiet spot to gather her
thoughts. Upstairs, the sound of the rollicking patrons was muffled through the
floorboards.

Rows of doors on each
side of the hallway seemed to be already occupied, but the women were soon
shown to their rooms. Four beds to a room didn’t offer much in the way of
privacy, but in Mali’s mind, it was better than sleeping on the floor or in a
tent.

“I need to wash my
hair,” she said, watching Kimber change into the long white gown with bell
sleeves that was required for all the maiden wolves.

“Your hair won’t be dry
for hours,” Kimber said with a frown. “Don’t you want to watch them burn the
wolf? Meet the others?”

“No. I’m ready for a
bath and some quiet time. If my hair isn’t too wet, I’ll find you later.”

Kimber draped a white
shawl around her shoulders. “Suit yourself. Have fun,” she said, wiggling her
fingers goodbye as she followed the other women out the door.

Mali breathed a sigh of
relief. She walked to the window and looked out at the straw wolf and the
gathering crowd. A bath was definitely in order. And after that, she had to
explore the boundaries holding her inside Fangor. Alone.

***

“Ah! Jaxon! Returned
from the borders as whole as you left, I trust?” Nicodemus bellowed loud enough
the thick stained glass on the back of the inn rattled in its lead beading.

“You’ve a taste for fresh
picked cherries? Is that why you wait here?” Jaxon said.

“Aye. The tarter the
better.” Nicodemus waggled his red brows and stood. He clapped forearms with
Jaxon. “Find a woman worthy of claiming for yourself this year, you ol’ dog?”

Jaxon scowled. Nicodemus
laughed.

“You know I don’t care
for maidens,” Jaxon said, taking a seat at the table. “Screaming and crying
over lost innocence.” He made a disgusted face.

Nicodemus signaled for
ale. A barmaid sloshed fragrant ale into two tankards then wiped the table as
Nicodemus pinched her bottom. She smacked his hand playfully and pranced away.

“Someday one will catch
yer eye and you’ll be gobsmacked. Unable able to eat or drink for fucking the
gel,” he said squinting at Jaxon before taking a long draught.

Jaxon shook his head,
tipping up his own tankard. The warm brew lit a fire down his throat before it
hit his belly with mellow heat. “I saw ursine tracks. They’ve come into the
valley,” he said low, for only his Alpha’s ears.

Nicodemus set his cup
down. “Aye. I know. They’ve been hitting the valley. Deer, sheep, even the
orchard. What the fuck does a bear want with apples?”

“Maybe they’re making
pies.” Jaxon cleared his throat, propping his elbows on his knees as he leaned
in. “You knew this and said nothing to me?”

Nicodemus waved his
hand. “The drought in the mountains is driving them down for food. They’ll be
hibernating soon enough. You’ve naught to worry about. Did you see one?”

Jaxon frowned. “No.”

Nicodemus clapped him on
the bicep. “See. They’re after food. Wild bears. That’s all.”

“Aye.”

“No sign of ‘em this
week. We’ve guards on the walls. Torches burning round the clock during the
festival. Too many of us to be worried about bears shitting in the woods. You
listenin’?”

“Aye, sir,” Jaxon said.
He finished his ale.

Nicodemus leaned back
rubbing his flat stomach. A twinkle entered the Alpha’s eyes. “What you need to
be worried ‘bout is putting that shriveled thing betwixt your legs to good use.
Too many females needin’ a good fuck. What’s it been? Five years? Ten?”

“Ten.”

Nicodemus laughed. “Too
long. You’ve forgotten how good it feels inside a woman, I gather.”

Jaxon snorted. “I’d
slug you if you weren’t Alpha.”

“Only you’ve got the
bollocks to threaten me these days, boyo,” Nicodemus laughed. “Go. Get your
cock wet. Find a cozy armful for the night and get that stick out your arse.”

Mali had two options.
Wear her dirty borrowed clothes, or the white garb left on her bed.
She didn’t fancy wearing a banner that announced to
all and sundry she was ripe for the taking. Then again, they were clean and
smelled of lavender.

Her stomach hurt—worse
than her monthly menses. She knew from past experience that the unbidden heat
was upon her. The gnawing ache normally subsided with a long hot bath, but this
time it had not. She assumed the pheromones of the wolf clan were wreaking
havoc with her body. A walk in the cold might help. And besides, she wanted a
closer look at the perimeter trapping her in Fangor.

With a resigned sigh,
Mali slipped the gown on and tied the laces in the front to cinch in the waist.
The pressure felt good against her stomach and kept her from doubling over as
pain nagged her insides.
She imagined the color
looked striking against her dark skin and hair, but since she was alone and
there was no mirror in the room she’d just have to assume it was favorable. As
much as she enjoyed cleaning and detangling her hair, it was still damp. At
least it wasn’t tangled.
Soft black curls clung
to her jaw and neck. Brushing them back, she tied them loosely at her nape with
a length of ribbon.

The glass felt cold
beneath her fingertips as she looked out the window to the straw wolf. Her
breath fogged the window, and she swiped a circle. Above, grey clouds swirled
around the full moon. On a platform, a man with visibly red hair stood giving a
speech as men walked to the huge effigy. With a wave of his hand, they lit the
base on fire. Orange flames licked up the legs, quickly devouring the beast in
a mesmerizing glow. Their room had a wonderful view of the grounds. Too bad she
couldn’t just stand there and watch all night.

Feeling braver with
everyone’s attention on the festival, Mali ventured downstairs. The chaotic and
noisy barroom now stood empty save for the barkeep. He nodded to her as she
wrapped her white shawl around her head and headed out the door.
Cold breezes slipped around her cheeks, finding her
damp hair. She shivered, tightened her shawl around the bottom half of her
face, and crossed the road as quickly as her legs would carry her.

She wasn’t sure what
she should expect since she hadn’t bothered to attend the opening ceremony. In
the distance, drums beat loud and steady. A sharp crack broke the air and a
burst of colored fire lit up the sky. People gasped and cheered.
Mali gazed at the star-shaped fire until it winked
out. Dropping her gaze back to the fence, she saw Jaxon walking along the
perimeter.
What was he doing?
Curious, she decided to follow him.

Jaxon disappeared under
the shadow of a large building, seemingly focused upon something only he could
see. Mali followed slowly, keeping close to the edge of the building. She
strained her ears listening for his footsteps, but could hear nothing but her
heartbeat.
Dragging in a harsh breath, she
rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks.
Jaxon
turned from the fence and looked straight at her.
Panic
froze her feet like blocks of ice. The white gown and shawl made it impossible
to blend in with the shadows of the building. She would have been better off
naked than having that banner wave around her body.
He
bounded across the flattened dead grass, seemingly unencumbered by his bad
knee. His rapid threatening move ignited her brain into function.

Run.

Mali spun, intending to
head for the alley on the other side of the building that would hopefully lead
to the crowd where she could lose herself. She didn’t want to find out what
he’d do if he caught her.
Her shawl unwound from
her face, the ends trailing in a wind of her own making. Crisp night air made
her rapid breath look like puffs of smoke.

The mouth of the alley
loomed. She crossed the threshold, entering blackness which the moon overhead
couldn’t penetrate from the shadows of the buildings. Halfway through the passage,
Jaxon’s voice stopped her flight.

“Don’t make me chase
you, Mali. You won’t like the outcome.”

Something in the low
rumbling brogue sent a shiver down her spine.
A
stitch pierced her right side, making it hard to take a deep breath without
pain. She turned, steeling her resolve.

He walked toward her,
slowly…almost stalking. Was he in pain? She could tell he favored his leg. And
the look in his eyes as he approached made a shudder go through her.

Mali swallowed.
“How—how did you know it was me?”

Jaxon stopped an arm’s
length from her. She could see his chest and shoulders go up and down with
every harsh breath.

“I could smell you,” he
said in a low, predatory tone.

She gasped and raised her
hand to slap his face. He snatched her hand from the air, locking his fingers
around her wrist.

“And I’d have to be
blind not to know you.’

She struggled to pull
her hand free. He merely tightened his hold until her wrist bones ached.

“You have no right to
hold me,” she gritted out.

“Why were you following
me?”

“I wasn’t following
you.”

He was silent.

“I thought you had a
bad knee,” she said.

“I can ignore the pain
when something is worth the chase.”

Mali harrumphed. “I
wasn’t following you. I needed a walk.”
With her
eyes adjusted to the darkness swallowing them, she could see him narrow his
eyes and tighten his jaw. Subtly, he sniffed the air, advancing on her until
her back was trapped against the wall.
His wolf
was awake, she realized.
Fresh panic set in, and
something more. Between her legs, the gnawing pain of her heat pulsed as if
he’d stuck her with a knife. She wanted to cry out it hurt so much.

She tried in vain to
jerk free and run.

“You’re in heat,” he
said quietly.

As if without conscious
thought of his actions, he pinned her hand to the roughhewn wood behind her
head. His other hand grabbed her free wrist.

“A man can only take so
much temptation, Mali,” he ground out, dropping his forehead until it touched
hers.

She shivered. “I can’t
help it. It must be the moon and the festival.”

“Keep telling yourself
that.”

She licked her lips.
His hot breath fanned the hairs around her face. “I-I thought a walk would help
with the pain.”

He took a heavy breath.
She could practically feel his chest against the tight peaks of her nipples. So
close, but not nearly close enough.

“Only one thing will
help with the pain now, Mali. You and I both know that.”

She took a shaky
breath, tilting her face ever so slightly upward. “Can you help me?”

Jaxon shuddered. He
didn’t answer her.
His hands tightened on her
wrists to the point of pain. Mali gasped, arching against the wood slats,
trying to get away or do something. Anything.

He pushed his knees
between her legs, making her ride his thick muscled thigh. Her pussy flooded
with wet heat and raw need. She’d never experienced anything like it. He sawed
his leg between hers, but the fabric of her dress muffled the sensation.

She wanted to scream.

“You shouldn’t have
followed me,” he whispered hoarsely. Releasing her wrists, he grabbed her hips
and lifted her off the ground, pushing himself between her legs until they
splayed wide.