The Werewolf's Pregnant Bride (4 page)

Chapter 6

Sophronia's body was relaxed. She was not quite asleep but she was not quite awake either. She was at that pleasant place between the two states when she heard the creaking of the door. She wondered if she was dreaming it until the light from a candle seeped through her eyelids and the bed dipped with the weight of another.

She opened her eyes to see Nathaniel sitting beside her. She could see his face only vaguely in the candlelight but he looked grim and determined.

"I have been ordered to bed you," Nathaniel said. The words stung. Why did her husband need a father's command to make their marriage legal and binding? Surely, he could not find her so ugly that the prospect of mating her appalled him.

Sophronia sat up to look into his eyes. They were stony and cold. She gulped and tried to push the feeling of fear down her throat.

"Should I undress?" Sophronia asked. She remembered nothing of her first time. Had she and Eldon been naked or had their body parts joined around and under the clothing they wore.

"That seems fitting," Nathaniel said.

Feelings of shame and self consciousness made her fingers tremble but she dutifully pulled the night gown over her head and then discarded her shift, drawers, stockings, and garters onto the floor. She was glad that the candle was all the light there was in the room. It made her feel less self conscious. Surely, he could not see her well in the darkness. The light shimmered around him but it was difficult for her eyes to see the finer details of his body. She thought that was probably for the best. The idea of seeing a man fully naked filled her with nerves.

"Bloody hell," Nathaniel whispered and turned his face to the wall. She wanted to cover up her body with the blankets from the bed and block his sight of her. She turned from him and took a deep breath. It was one night. She had to get through this one night. If she did, he likely would leave her alone if his look of disgust was any indication.

Nathaniel's body was being traitorous. As soon as she had thrown her gown to the floor and his wolf eyes had caught sight of her bare flesh his cock had turned to a rock and his balls had tightened. He could feel the tension in his belly as his desire overrode his good sense.

He should mount her, fill her with seed, and be done with it. He knew that. He also knew he had absolutely no intention of such a bedding. He knew his brother. Likely his brother had bedded her as a stumbling drunk barely able to keep his cock stiff. Nathaniel intended to show her what a real mating was. He was going to put her memories of Eldon to shame and then he would not touch her again. She might long for him and even beg for him but he would ignore her pleas for pleasure.

He took a step towards her and grabbed her firmly around the waist and pulled her against his chest. He could smell the fear and anticipation oozing from her skin. It gave her a stink that made his wolf hungry.

He brought his lips to her neck in a movement that startled her enough to jerk in his arms. He held her firmly as he deepened the kiss on her neck until he was sure she would be bruised from it in the morning. As he had hoped, the chit was a fool for such a move and she began to moan softly and push her body against his. When he tasted blood from the depths of his kiss he finally pulled his mouth away and came around to her front. He sat down on the side of the bed and pulled her between his legs. He started a trail of gentle kisses from the bottom of her earlobe and moved his mouth slowly lower until he was on her nipple. He sucked it into his mouth making her gasp.

Her breasts were large and firm. Likely due to the babe she was carrying. He tried to ignore her round belly as he suckled her nipple. He alternated sucking and running his tongue in a circle around the hard nub as she arched her back against his arms which held her in place. He could sense the musty smell of desire from between her legs getting stronger as he continued his attentions.

He moved from the left breast to the right and noticed a sweetness when his lips encircled the right. He wondered vaguely if the attention from his lips had caused her breasts to leak milk. It was the only thing he could think of to account for the change of taste and though he knew it should turn off his body he found instead that of its own accord his cock started bucking in a frenzy.

The sweetness of the milk along with the smell from her sex was driving his wolf mad. He wanted to bury himself in her wetness but he held himself back. She might be whimpering and panting under his ministrations but she had not met a pleasure peak and he was going to be sure that she did before he entered her. He wanted her weak with desire when he filled her and left. He wanted to show her how a real man pleasured a woman. A man who was sober and strong. A man who was not weakened by drink and his own demons. She would have one chance to be with a man. No, a wolf. Then, she could spend the rest of her days wishing she had never been bedded by him.

He pushed her back onto the bed. He felt her body tense and he wondered if she thought he was going to unbutton his pants and push his hardness into her. Other men might have done that but not him.

If this was the only time he would ever bed a woman he was going to do it right.

He did take a step away from her so he could throw off his own clothes. He liked the smell that her fear added to her desire. Once she saw his full length and width she would smell even more desirable.

Sophronia watched as the candlelight danced off his naked chest. He had a thick pelt of hair there. She had not expected him to be hairy and she could not remember if Eldon had been. She wondered if all men looked like that or if it was only Nathaniel.

He had certainly known where and how to kiss her. She had never felt such sensations in her life and she suddenly felt confident she understood why some women fell. If being loved by a man was all the things that was happening to her now it was a wonder more women did not end up in her circumstances. Indeed, it was a wonder that all of Europe was not filled with fallen women.

He climbed onto the bed above her and she felt his weight on the mattress. She looked up into his cold eyes wondering if now he was going to prick her with his cock.

She glanced between their bodies and caught a look at it. His member was long and thick. She could not imagine how it would ever fit inside her. Surely, her body could not stretch to accommodate something so large.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to still her fears. Eldon must have been large too. She wished she could remember. Had there really been something that size inside her body before? Could she really take him into her without being torn apart?

She yelped when suddenly he leaned back and grabbed her ass, raising it into the air. She closed her eyes and clenched the blankets at her side. She waited for the pain that surely must come from something so big being forced into her body but it was not pain she felt. Instead, it was the hot wetness of his mouth exploring her.

He made sure that his cock didn't touch the blankets. He was afraid if it rubbed against anything at the moment he would spill his seed and have to repeat this whole process again. The smells coming from her had the wolf in him on the verge of madness. He wanted to mount her and rub his cock against the walls of her until he came. Of course, he could not. Not yet. Not until she had reached a pleasure peak first and he had shown her all she had been missing by being with someone like Eldon.

He used his fingers to spread the lips of her pussy and he brought his tongue between the folds and into her core. All the smells that had teased his nose flowed into his mouth and he could taste the desire in the juices that wetted her passage. He plunged his tongue deep into her and pressed his tongue against the top wall of her pussy as he withdrew it making sure to contact her pleasure nub before plunging back inside of her. After half a dozen strokes he felt her muscles tightening. He increased his pressure and speed as he felt her buck against him. Her taste told him she was close to her climax. His balls urged him to hurry. His own body would not be kept waiting much longer. Her arousal was driving his body to madness.

He added a finger inside her to help his tongue and he heard her gasp and cry out as her body trembled. His tongue and fingers felt the pulsing of her pussy as spasms of pleasure shook her body. The juices that lined her passage sprayed out onto his chin. He licked his lips and the taste of her desire pushed him over the edge. As soon as her pussy stopped pulsing he moved his body over her and plunged into her depths.

His cock filled her. It was tight and she had to stretch to accommodate it. If her muscles were not so relaxed from the pleasure he had just given her it might have been uncomfortable but at the moment she was just starting to come back from the edge of the oblivion to which he had sent her.
She had never imagined anything like what he had done to her body. Surely, even drunk, she would have remembered if Eldon had driven her to such high places.

She felt the tightness of accommodating his cock in a faraway place. Closer was the feeling of the pelt of hair on his chest scratching against her breasts which felt tender and tight.

He could feel the walls of her pussy taut against his cock. He plunged into her depths fiercely. It was his turn for pleasure now and the wolf in him wanted to be satisfied. Beneath him, Sophronia was looking up at him with drowsy eyes. He felt energy flowing through him with each plunge that buried his cock deep in her. The growing need in him had all his muscles tight and straining. His balls felt like they were going to burst. They were almost painful with tension but he kept holding back.

He held back until there was no way to hold back any longer. The walls of her pussy rubbing against the head of his cock finally created the explosion. He let out a growl as his swollen balls started to pulse and he felt the waves of pleasure as he filled her with his seed.

He felt light headed and dizzy as the last spasms burst through his cock. Then, exhausted, he felt it start to soften within her and he pulled himself from her. He stood up, though his body felt shaky, and donned his clothes. Sophronia reached out for him. He did not know what she wanted. It might have been to pull him back in the bed or simply to enjoy more contact with his skin but he would not have any of it. He stepped away pulling himself out of her reach.

Once his clothes were on and righted he grabbed the candle he had brought into the room and made his way into the hallway.

She heard the door slam and the light from his candle disappeared. Suddenly, Sophronia was shrouded in darkness. She lay on her bed for a moment. Her body was damp from sweat and the room felt chilled. Her thighs were sticky. The smell that wafted from her body was repugnant against her nose now that she was not in the middle of pleasure. She let her eyes adjust for a moment before stumbling to a drawer for a handkerchief. She used the cloth to clean her thighs before slowly putting her clothes back on. Once dressed she sat down on the edge of her bed. It took a moment but once the emotions hit her the tears would not stop.

Nathaniel had come into her room and mated her dutifully. He had done just what a husband should and then left her there alone. She had not felt any connection to Eldon after their tryst. There had been no pounding of her heart at the sight of him nor tingling in her core wanting him there again. She knew that she would have that now with Nathaniel. She would want him whenever she saw him and she was pretty sure the blighter would not be returning to her bed. Not if the look of contempt he had cast her and the swiftness he had left her bed were any indication. She wished he had never come to her bed. She wished she had never gotten drunk and slept with Eldon. She wished she had never told her father the truth and been forced into a marriage with Nathaniel. The man was contemptible. 

She had never felt so lonely in her life.

She did not think she would ever fall asleep but even as her heart was breaking the exhaustion from her body overtook her.

Chapter 7

Nathaniel contemplated calling for his breakfast to be served in his room. He didn't want to see Sophronia or his father after the night he had. After leaving Sophronia's room he had tried to sleep but the sleep had evaded him. He was too full of emotions which ranged from guilt to arousal. He had spent his first night with a woman and it had felt as good as he imagined it would. He almost understood now why men struggled to control their lusts. It would not be easy to go back to a celibate life after having been inside of a woman. 

He reached his hand out and touched the rope to ring Reggie but then he pulled it back. He had done nothing wrong. He had done exactly as he had been commanded to do.

Snow and Winter looked up as he opened the door but they made no move to follow him. Jonah would be up for them in an hour or so and until then they could enjoy the comfort of his bed.

He made his way down the stairs to the dining room. Eldon was rubbing his temples and sipping a mug of ale though this time there was also a tart on his plate. Claire was seated beside him. Remnants of eggs and jam shown on the plate before her. She was speaking animatedly to Mercy who was across from her. Mercy's plate still had eggs and bacon on it but it seemed her attention had been more on the book that sat beside the plate than the food on it. He glanced at the title Der Schweizerische Robinson.

His sister had not been given the were-gift but she had been able to learn other languages with speed better than most young ladies he had conversed with. She could speak adequately in French and could read German well. She also could read Russian though not quite so well as the other languages. It was something she was still educating herself on.

"Could you imagine being shipwrecked on an island?" Mercy asked.

"At least they have their family. Not like poor Robinson Crusoe," Claire said.

"Crusoe just had to take care of himself. The very worst that could happen to him is his own death. Imagine trying to provide for your whole family on a deserted island. If you are injured or died then your whole family might die as well," Mercy said.

"I think that as long as family is together to watch out for each other everyone is better off," his father said. He was seated at the head of the table.

"At least until the family cannot decide what the best choices are to care for each other. What does a family do if one brother believes a house should be built to the north and the other to the east?" Nathaniel asked.

"Let the father decide," his father said gruffly.

Nathaniel grabbed a plate off the sideboard and filled it up. He was feeling ravenous this morning. Bedding Sophronia the night before had taken much more out of him than he had suspected it would.

He was surprised his drunken brother ever managed loving a woman. It seemed much more energy than Eldon would want to expend.

He kept his eyes on his food and tried to ignore the table until he heard a gasp. He looked up to see both Mercy and Claire covering their mouths with their hands.

"Whatever happened to you?" Mercy asked. At first, Nathaniel was not sure of her meaning but then he followed her eyes to Sophronia. Perhaps his attentions to her neck the night before had been too intense. His wife had a large redness on the side of her neck.

Sophronia looked at her with confusion.

"Your neck," Claire whispered. Sophronia brought her hand up to where the redness was. Damn, he had not realized he had been so rough with her. It was a wonder it did not hurt.

"Did Ruth see this while she was helping you dress?" Mercy asked standing up to get a closer inspection. Sophronia pulled back.

"It was her daughter that dressed me but she can hardly be blamed. The light was dim," Sophronia said.

"It would have to be very dim for her not to notice such a thing," Claire said.

"Is there some creepy thing in the house that has bitten you? I've never seen any bug leave a mark like this before," Mercy said. Sophronia's face blushed and Nathaniel wished that the floor would suddenly crack open and suck him into the depths of the earth.

Eldon looked up and let out a choking noise. His father coughed delicately.

"It appears to be a bedroom mishap. Nothing any of the rest of us needs to be bothered by. Mercy, find your sister a scarf to wear for the sake of her modesty," their father said. Claire looked over at Nathaniel with a look of confusion and perhaps a bit of reproach. Apparently his brother had never taken to such deep kisses of his wife.

"Perhaps you should go as well," Eldon said to Claire. She nodded hesitantly but stood up to join the other women.

"You did not need to prove to me that you obeyed my command," his father said gruffly after the women had departed.

"What the devil were you doing?" Eldon asked.

"What father commanded me to do," Nathaniel spat.

"I commanded you to consummate the marriage. Anything above that was your own doing so do not blame me," his father said.

"It would not do to kill the girl. Especially if that is my babe in her belly," Eldon growled.

"A few rough kisses would hardly damage either her or the child," Nathaniel defended. Of course, he had not expected following his desire to leave her bruised either. Had he been trying to punish her?

"No real harm done I am sure. She is not the first woman to have a few love bites. Especially from a werewolf. Just try next time to cover them before breakfast so as not to upset your sisters," his father said.

"I do not intend to leave them again," Nathaniel said.

"I should say not," Eldon said. Nathaniel was not sure exactly what Sophronia had seen in his brother. She had liked the loving he had given her even if it had been a bit rougher than a gentleman ought to give his wife.

"I will make sure we rush building you that house. It seems that more privacy is warranted," his father said.

"It is not," Nathaniel growled but the sudden aching in the pit of his stomach made him wonder if his father would end up right. Last night he had sworn he would sleep with her only that one time and only because his alpha commanded but now he was not so sure.

"There is no need to fuss over me," Sophronia said. While Mercy and Claire had been searching for a scarf she had seen the mark on her neck. It certainly looked worse than it felt. She had not even noticed it until they were at the table and she had not thought that her husband's kisses the night before could cause any such thing. Now that the scarf covered it she felt as if it was not real and nothing but a trick of shadows.

"It is not fussing. Not really. I just want to be sure that you get rest," Mercy said.

"I feel very well," Sophronia said.

"Still, it might be better to stay inside today instead of playing battledore and shuttlecock," Claire said. She had mentioned the day before that if the weather remained mild she had hoped to play a game of it.

"Do not be silly. The fresh air will do me good and if I become tired I can sit down," Sophronia said.

"I do suppose the fresh air would not hurt. We will keep it a light game. Have you played before?" Mercy asked.

"Once or twice," Sophronia said. It was not popular with her friends in America but she had played it a few times since coming to Europe and so knew the basics.

"And you will of course stop us if you feel too taxed," Claire said.

"Of course I will," Sophronia said though she expected fully to feel just fine. Women in Europe might be delicate flowers but she was American and from hardier stock. She had heard of Negro women birthing babies in cotton fields and then continuing to pick. It was likely more rumor than truth but she was not going to let pregnancy stop her from enjoying the small pleasures of life.

Nathaniel walked two pups around the yard. They were still small little uncoordinated balls of fur but his experience told him that they were the choicest of the current litter. Other pups in the litter would be sold but these two he would keep for use and breeding. Any dogs he planned to keep he always trained himself. He started as soon as they could reasonably separate from their mother. 

For the moment, he was teaching them the basics of following and of watching his movements to stop when he did. When a pup acted as it should he gave it a small bite of jerky. He had just come over a green hilltop when the pups lost their focus and excitedly ran forward.

Mercy bent down to catch a rushing pup in her arms as Sophronia hit the shuttlecock with her battledore. The shuttlecock they were using was little more than a cork with feathers as trimming but it apparently resembled a small bird enough to get the pups attention. As it flew into the air the pups chased after it as Claire raced towards it trying to keep it in the air. He heard a yelp as one paw came under a foot. Claire jumped back and the shuttlecock hit the ground. The other pup took the opportunity to grab the feathered thing and start running with it.

"Here, Hercules," Nathaniel called to the pup though it paid him no mind at all.

"I think Loki would be a more appropriate name," Sophronia called with a laugh.

Nathaniel debated whether to chase after the pup. He hoped if he avoided giving chase that the pup would get bored and return of his own accord. Whether he gave chase or not it was likely that the shuttlecock would be lost forever.

He gave a bite of jerky to the other pup that was being held by Mercy and seemed less inclined to chase after his brother though it did glance in the direction Hercules had run.

"Sorry to ruin your game on such a nice day," Nathaniel said. He looked at Mercy when he said it. He did not want to look at Sophronia. The sunlight made her hair look glossy and he desperately wanted to run his fingers through it. The thought of touching her made his body tingle.

"I was growing weary anyways," Mercy said.

"In that case perhaps you should take my wife into the house. If the sun is too much for you then it is too much for her and my babe in her belly," he said. He doubted the sun would really hurt her. He had seen the resilience of his pregnant bitches and unlike some of the dandies he had met he was not horrified by nature. He just wanted Sophronia out of his sight. Seeing her created strange longings in his body that he preferred to forget.

"Thank you for your concern but I am doing well," Sophronia said. The look she was giving him was seething. Was it not his job to show her concern?

"Perhaps we should take a walk. A walk will be less strenuous and we might find the shuttlecock around the yard if the pup has dropped it," Claire suggested.

"Will you be walking with us, Nathaniel?" Mercy asked.

"It seems that he has an errant pup to find," Sophronia said. He wondered if his company created the same tingles in her body that he felt seeing her. He wanted to think that was the reason she seemed to want out of his company.

"I do," he nodded. He took the other pup from his sister.

"I shall see you at supper if everything is settled with the dogs," Nathaniel said tipping his hat to them.

"Remember that father invited Mr. Baltz to supper," Mercy added. Nathaniel nodded grimly.

"My sister will be here as well. She will be staying with me until-"

Nathaniel realized as Claire tripped over her sentence that he had not made plans for an excuse to give Sophronia for the excursion he and the werewolf members of the family would be making during the days of the full moon.

"The hunting trip," Mercy added quickly.

"Hunting trip?" Sophronia asked. Her interest seemed piqued and that was the last thing he needed.

"Yes. My father and the Marquess go hunting together about once a month. It is a long held family tradition," Claire said.

"It is a lovely time to stay home. Much of the staff joins them and the house is quiet," Mercy added.

"You do not join them?" Sophronia asked. He could see the look of disappointment on her face.

"No. Eldon and Nathaniel go to hunt and Claire goes because it is a chance to see her father and visit with her sister and step-mother," Mercy explained.

"And why do you not go?" Sophronia asked.

"My father feels that the women in his family should not hunt. It is a very masculine sport," Mercy explained. It was not a perfect cover story but he hoped it would do. He could force Sophronia to stay home but he did not want to have to exert his power as her husband over something so trivial. She would likely think him a brute.

"I do not enjoy the killing of innocent little creatures," Sophronia said after a moment.

"It will be a lovely time to catch up on reading. Have your read any books by Jane Austen? I have read all that she has written and I do believe they are my favorites. I only read them when the men are away. My father does not exactly approve of such books," Mercy said.

"He does not want your head filled with nonsense," Nathaniel said.

"If you had ever read a single book by Jane Austen you would know that they are not full of nonsense," Sophronia said. She gave him a look of indignation. He had no idea she was a booklover let alone a fan of such ridiculous fantasies. He had actually read a few of the books just to see what his sister was always sighing about. She could have her guilty little pleasure books. He preferred Shakespeare and Sophocles. At least characters like Antigone did what they needed to do and did not sit around simpering and waiting for a husband to save them from the woes of poverty or whatever else the silly women worried about. He did not see the same heroics in the Austen characters that his sister did but it was forgivable at least in her. He could see how Mercy's troubles mirrored Austen's characters. She had always expected to marry Daniel but without being a werewolf that was nearly impossible. She might marry a man of some rank someday but there were few who knew about werewolves and were not either were-kind themselves or those serving them. There were not many Dukes, Counts, or Earls out in the world who were not were -kind and still had knowledge of the fantastical world. There was no way that their father could let Mercy marry someone who had no knowledge of their world unless there was a desperate need. Of course, there would never be a desperate need. Mercy would be looked after by her father and brothers into her old age. He could imagine that a woman with few marriage prospects might find the Austen books hopeful.